Filling the Void
by Belsidat
Summary: Five years after the visit of Sozen's Comet finds the Gaang split up and living their lives. However Toph's brashness awakens a sleeping dragon metaphorically and sets out a chain of events that puts Aang's life and the very concept of balance in jeopardy
1. 5 years

*whud* The man in fire-nation red garb struck the clay wall of the tavern and slid down slowly. All about his fellows lay sprawled on the floor. Standing in the eye of the carnage was a small girl with vacant white eyes. Her green and yellow clothes were enough to identify her as earth-nation, even if one overlooked the jutting barbs of earth that rose up from the tavern floor. Her lips curled into a sardonic smirk, and after nothing but moans arose form the men around her she asked, "That the best you got?"

"Little Girl…" *thwack* the man who had begun was silenced by a spar of stone rising up to snap him in the chin. As he tumbled back the girl pointed accusingly and shouted.

"I'm not little, I'm just short okay? I'm *eighteen* already!" The girl stomped her foot and the whole Tavern shoot on its foundations. She crossed her arms and fought to kepe her bottom lip from jutting into a pout.

"We… We know who you are Toph Bei Fong." The wizened tavern owner peered over his counter, "We know all about you. Please, you have defeated all the warriors here, please leave my tavern."

"Yeah yeah…" Toph waves a hand back over one shoulder as she headed for the door, "Just cause you all are wussies don't be blaming me."

"Tiyashi…" the man who had paid for calling Toph little moaned out the word like a curse.

"What… you still got some fight in you?" Toph turned a bored glance back over her shoulder.

The man coughed and pushed himself up onto his hands, staring up at Toph through fallen bangs, "Tiyashi…. Go there… and you'll meet your match."

The hate-filled glare was common enough, but the man's level voice was counter to the usual bile of the defeated. Toph flexed her toes against the earthen floor. "Yeah right."

A all chunk of the stone wall detached itself and bounced off the man's head as Toph continued out the door.

"Finished?" a bored and long-suffering voice asked from beside the doorway as Toph stepped out into the evening air.

"Pshh, they didn't even warrant breaking a sweat.. I mean.. the tavern's still standing!" Toph felt the figure beside her rise through the shifting of his feet.

"When're you gonna get bored of this Toph? I mean, beating up washed up Fire nation holdouts seems… so pointless."

"You didn't HAVE to tag along Haru." Toph accused, poking out a finger at roughly the older man's chest, "In fact, I don't think I remember inviting you."

Haru took a cleansing breath and let it out in a sigh before shouldering their collective knapsack, "You know why I'm here. Your parents offered good money, I just figured traveling with you would be a lot more polite than trying to trail you like a shadow." Haru raised his gaze to the faint stars,"They mean well, you know? You don't know how lucky you are to have parents to be overprotective."

Toph set her jaw and punched Haru in the arm,"Yeah.. whatever." The short earth bender stepped lively, making Haru trot to catch up after rubbing feeling back into his arm.

"Where are we going?"

"Some town called Taiyashi. You're the one with the map, which way is it?"

Haru fumbled with his bag, not thinking of asking his shorter companions to slow down. He managed to get the map out, creasing it only once more across its allready battered form. "Umm.." he said, trying to read and walk at the same time,"It's.. back the other way Toph.."

"Ugh!" Toph threw up her hands,"Why does everythign in this stupid country have to be so stupidly made and why do all the people have to be so incredibly stupid about accepting the avatar?" She turned on her heel and stalked back the way she'd come. Small stones along the trail bounced and shook in sympathy with her unspent emotion.

Haru blinked after her, then jogged once more, stuffing the map back in the bag and biting his lip, now was a bad time to bring it up it seemed but there wasn't really any time left, "Toph…are we going this year?"

Toph stopped short, so fast that Haru almost ran over her,"Going?"

Her voice dripped so much tied up venom that Haru winced, but foraged on bravely, "Going to the reunion. It's five years tomorrow."

The sound of the cricketbeatles was the only thing in the are for several moments. Haru barely dared to breath, wondering if this was the day he saw the barely contained shambles of his companion finally go to pieces.

When she spoke Toph's voice was filled with the kind of nonchalance that can only be forced,"Oh, it'll probably just be stupid old Zuko and twinkle toes again. Maybe when Aang shows up I'll go… or something." Toph finished with an idle wave over her shoulder, dismissing the topic altogether. Without another word she continued on, and Haru gave up, trotting along beside her.

***

"So, it's just us again then?"

"Looks like it."

A scarred man stood quietly on a wide balcony. The sun shone down, plainly revealing the burned flesh down the left side of his face. It clashed sharply with his well-manicured appearance. A high mandarin collar famed his face and the long robes of state fit him well. In his topknot sat the eternal flame that marked him out as the Fire Lord. Fire Lord Zuko, ruler of the Fire Nation, the Great Reconciler as he was known.

Another man stepped onto the balcony from the shadows of the room beyond. He was clad in the soft blues of the water tribe, and the blue and white beads of his people clicked lightly as he moved, twined as they were in the thin braids that fell to his shoulders. His face was youthful, but there were already at the corners of his eyes the creases that marked him out as a troubled man, a thinker in a time of troubles. He crossed his arms and raised a hand to stroke the neatly trimmed Goatee that served to widen his narrow jaw. "It's so strange. Five years doesn't sound like much, but, here we are."

Zuko turned from gazing out over his capital and let his gaze rest on the other for a moment before replying,"Yes."

The silence dragged on, and the water-triber's face went from expectant to gently annoyed. Just when he opened his mouth to speak again Zuko quirked a smile of his own, "Katara couldn't make it?"

"She could." The reply was flat,"But she won't, not until we agree to help hunt for Aang."

Zuko turned back to the vista beneath them and rested his hands on the railing. He sighed after a long moment, "You know Sokka, I don't think he wants to be found."

Sokka stepped up beside Zuko. His hand dropped form his goatee but his arms remained folded, "I think you're right. I don't know why he left, but he had to have a reason. Just try to tell that to Katara though."

Zuko's reply was an outburst, "It's not like the Fire Lord can just up and go wandering across the world, even to hunt the Avatar." He gestured wildly as he spoke, and for a moment Sokka saw a Prince rather than a Lord beside him. Zuko recovered himself quickly, realizing his mistake, and tried to resume an quietly aloof pose. Sokka wasn't going to let him get away with it.

"Besides." He waves a hand dismissively, "Your Avatar hunting license probably expired YEARS ago didn't it?"

The joke was lame, but they both laughed out of sheer need for relief. At the end of it Zuko looked pained though. He asked by means of distraction, "Toph? Suki?"

Sokka shook his head, "Suki hasn't left Kioshi Island since the wedding." He had said it naturally enough, but paused once the words were in the air. Zuko made an abortive move to put a reassuring hand on Sokka's shoulder, and covered it by folding his hands in the sleeves of his robes.

"I'm sorry." He offered up lamely.

Sokka shook his head, but he didn't meet Zuko's gaze as he spoke, "It's not as hard as you might think. I've been all over for so long, and she had to stay on Kiyoshi. Something like this was kind of inevitable I guess. We had some good times. I still love her." Sokka's voice had grown thin as he spoke, the last was barely a whisper.

Zuko coughed and repeated, "Toph?" desperate for a distraction.

Sokka came back at that, "Toph? She's still tearing up your countryside as far as I know. Battling her way through old expatriot haunts for whatever reason. Haru's with her, watching out for her as best he can." Sokka eyed Zuko now, "How can I know this and you not?"

Zuko pulled a long suffering face, "I'd heard, but I'd hoped it was some other blind earth bending girl." He spread his hands and gave a helpless shrug, but his face grew serious quickly, "She's going to get herself, and Haru into trouble if she keeps it up."

"I know, I know." Sokka sighed. He rubbed a hand back through his hair, "I have some time before I'm needed back on the expansion of Ba Sing Se's outer wall. I'll see if I can find her and talk sense into her. It didn't work last time but…" he didn't finish the sentence. Zuko could fill in a couple different endings, and wondered how accurate the one that went 'I wasn't single then.' was.

There was another protracted silence as both men stared out over the city as the setting draped the landscape in slowly diminishing reds.

"Zuko?"

"Yeah Sokka?"

"When did we all stop having fun?"

Zuko answered with the last hints of lights dying out in the west, "The day that 'happily ever after' simply became 'tomorrow'."

***


	2. Awakening

Tiyashi was a wasted vestige of civilization clawing tenaciously to the edge of the southern desert in the Fire Kingdom. Nowhere was the sweeping architecture of the fire kingdom evident. In truth the clay and mud baked huts looked more like something from the earth kingdom. Toph knew it was a podunk by the number of people moving around. Less than a hundred, and barely any livestock at all. She could feel their movements through the earthen floors of their homes. With a sigh she started down the final leg of the path into town, "C'mon Haru, this looks like it was just a big waste of time, but we'd better check it out since we came all the way here."

Defeat hung in the air like old laundry. Ina town this small their approach could not possibly go unnoticed, and yet no one seemed to react. People plodded through their mundane lives oblivious to the strangers approaching. Nonetheless Haru was on edge. He glanced at every face, jumped at any unexpected movement, "Toph, I don't think we need to bother with this place. Can we go?"

"Jeez, you're such a wet blanket. It's like traveling with Kataara all over again. Let me just find out if there's anything worth fighting here…" Without hesitation Toph 's arm shot out and nabbed a passing villager by the tunic, "Hey you!" Toph bellowed without looking at the man, "You got anyone here who knows how to fight? I came a long way because someone told me Id meet my match here, and unless they planned to bore me to death, I ain't seeing it."

The old man didn't' resist, didn't fight back, gave almost no reaction to being grabbed. To Toph's words he said limply, "Behind the old corral, some members of some old army unit have pitched their tents. Maybe that's who you're looking for?"

"Maybe. You can go." Toph thrust the old man on his way. After a studdering step he picked up his normal pace, as if nothing had happened.

"Toph… this place gives me the creeps. These people, they're not normal."

"Ahhh who cares. Let's just find this camp, flatten it, and teach these soldiers a lesson, then we can get on to someplace more fun." Toph stalked through town with Haru trailing at her heels; his every sense tuned to his surroundings in nervous anticipation.

The camp turned out to be as underwhelming as the town itself. It was a mottled assortment of ribbed and staked tents that skirted the edge of hard-pack and the sandy sea beyond. The only military activity going on was a pair of men sharpening straight swords beside a rack of half a dozen more. Toph felt more, another nine in all. Most were in a single large ribbed tent. That was as good a place as any to start.

Inhaling deeply Toph announced herself in the usual way. She snapped out her fists and spears of earth shot up from the hard-pack, tearing through the fabric of the tent and sheering off a good portion of the front of it, "Knock knock."

Eleven pairs of eyes blinked in utter confusion as the dust settled from Toph's attack. One of them belonged to Haru, "One of these days you'll warn me before doing something like that." He grumbled.

To their credit the stunned soldiers reacted quickly. The two sword-sharpeners stood quickly, scooping up an armful of blades each from the rack and darted towards the now shredded tent. Their compatriots mobilized quickly. Most made for the now-ruined front of the tent. Those, and the sword handlers, all met a blunt-spined eruption as Toph bent the very edge of the hard-pack. Some of the protrusion was made from sand and crumbled away, but there was enough bulk to throw everyone rushing for the front of the tent back into the air.

Toph opened her mouth to make another sarcastic remark, but two soldiers had darted for the edges of the tear rather than the middle. They rolled each around one side of the rock spine-cone and came up tossing balls of fire towards Toph from the sides. She circled her hands in a black and panels of rock intercepted the projectiles, though the fireballs shattered the rocks, pelting the little bender with shards, "ooo, you messed up my HAIR!"

Toph spun to her right, wind milling her arms as she went. With each pass of a fist towards the right-side fire bender a chunk of rock was torn from the ground and flung in his direction. To his credit the fire nation soldier dove out of the path of the projectiles but as he hit the ground Toph ceased her spin and brought both hands together. The earth itself rose up and pinned the soldier like a rat in a trap.

The other bender hadn't been idle though, nor had the soldiers. With swords now in hand they charged from several angles at once, hoping to confuse their sudden foe.

Toph wasn't' fooled, she let them get in close, it worked as cover from the remaining fire bender. When they came within sword reach they paused. Toph did, after all, appear to be a little girl. They came up short, holding her at sword point and Toph giggled, "Well, I guess you guys are a little better than most… but not much." She curled up into a crouch then thrust her arms out and up. The earth swelled up beneath Toph in a second spine-cone that engulfed her and smashed the soldiers off their feet again, this time they didn't get up so quickly.

The last enemy, the remaining fire bender, eyed the spine-cone uncertain of how to proceed. He glanced to Haru who was backing slowly out of the line of fire and in that moment two of the spines shot off towards him. Bursts of fire intercepted the spines. Two, four, six, ten. He matched each assault through he was forced to give ground as Toph advanced within her armored 'tank' of earth. The balance of power was broken when The fire bender stepped back onto the sands. The spines stopped abruptly and without warning the sands opened to swallow him up to the neck before closing in around him again.

He struggled briefly but gave up as Toph's spine-cone tank crumbled away and she stepped out. "Well, I guess that was at least a little interesting, but definitely no match here. Hmph."

"Captain…." One of the soldiers groaned as he tried to rise. That got Toph's attention.

"Captain? You guys got someone in charge? Maybe someone who would be a little fun?"

"Toph…" Haru warned, "Look, this is going too far okay? Beating up angry old fire nation soldiers who're causing trouble is one thing, but these guys were just out here in the middle of nowhere." He stepped back into the middle of things, and even went to far as to try and help one of the disarmed soldiers to his feet.

"Geez Haru. They're just old soldiers. Who knows what horrible things they did during the invasion." Toph stalked over towards the soldier who had spoken and stomped the earth beside him, a thick spar of rock knocked him fully onto his feet and Toph grabbed the front of his tunic. She noted only vaguely that none of these soldiers wore any kind of armor as she shook the much taller soldier like a rag-doll, "So, where's this Captain of yours huh? Gonna cry for him and have him teach the big bad itty bitty earth bender a lesson?"

Despite the pummeling he'd taken the soldier faced Toph back evenly, staring into her unseeing eyes and pointing towards the ruined main-tent. "He's there. If you're smart you'll leave now."

"What are you thick?" Toph tossed the man aside and wiped her first rock spine cone away with a wave of her hand, "I'm the Blind Bandit, I'm the destroyer of fire benders, I'm Toph Bei Fong, one of the Avatar's compatriots. I eat guys like you for breakfast!"

Toph finished her rant and stopped short. Now she 'saw' the Captain. He'd been so still he hadn't registered separately from the furniture to her sight. Toph couldn't see the look on his face, couldn't see the blank desolation melting into purpose as she spoke. She couldn't see the immaculately kept uniform that he worse in a slovenly fashion. She could only hear in his voice the rise of emotion that sent a tingle through her battl-hungry mind.

"Toph Bei Fong. Friend of the… Avatar."

"Yeah!" Toph frowned as she sensed his heartbeat, slow and steady. She slid into an earth bending stance, and her front foot brushed the floor of the tent… the momentary blindness unsettled her. Toph slid back, and shouted to cover her mistake, "So, you gonna fight or just stand there and be ugly?"

He came in a rush, Toph had a moment to wonder why they always did that then she snapped a fist up to bring a spar of stone into the Captain's jaw; only nothing happened. The Captain flowed as he approached into a lower crane stance. Toph felt her bending melt against some unassailable force. "Hey wha-" Toph's answer was cut off as the Captain finished covering the ground between them. His right foot slid out and hooked her heel, sending the little earth-bender toppling towards the ground.

Toph instinctively bent the earth around her, letting it envelope her instead of landing hard. She just needed a moment to get her bearings. With her senses still reeling Toph the earth spat Toph back out… once more there was that horrible nullification. It was like some nameless hunger eating away at her connection to the earth.

The Captain was there, one hand raised as if he'd pushed Toph up from the earth himself. She staggered to her feet, "What the hell are you?"

"I am Captain Anzu of the 35th Flame Flower Regiment. I am taking you my prisoner. Please come quietly."

The voice was calm, collected, and yet rang overly formal, somehow hollow. Toph didn't dwell on it. Fear was mounting inside her. She senses Haru edging back in closer, but further out the soldiers were trying to free their fire-bending brethren from the prisons Toph had locked them in. "Like hell I will. Suck rocks Burnout!" Toph spun backwards and lashed out with a back fist. Only the punch, and its attendant rock-thrust never made it to completion. She felt the prelude, it was a gathering then a stomp, not unlike an earth bender's horse-stance, but instead of earth bending what radiated out was only an all consuming emptiness. It struck Toph though her connection with the earth. The entire attack was over in an instant, yet it stretched out into an eternity for Toph. She felt her bending being devoured, spent, canceled out inside of her. The hungry void swallowed her connection to the world and the shock sent her consciousness spiraling down with her body to the suddenly unfamiliar earth.

Captain Anzu stood over the fallen Toph, quietly rebuttoning his uniform jacket. His shoulders squared from their previous slouch and his voice grew in strength as he barked out orders, "Sergeant, secure the prisoner. Detail two men to break down camp once Tsuka and Jito are freed."

Anzu turned slowly, his gaze falling on Haru.

The younger earth bender wavered half in a fighting stance. His eyes leapt from Toph's prone form, to the Captain's intense yet unfocused gaze, to the soldiers who were suddenly moving with a purpose they had not only moments before. He swallowed nervously and met the Captain's gaze again. This time the eyes were focused, and behind the calm demeanor Haru saw something that made his stomach sink and his blood run cold. Anzu moved, Haru closed his eyes, and the world went black.


	3. Gifts

Sokka checked over his few simple possessions he'd brought to the meeting. So much time spent on the road, so many building projects. He had homes now in almost every major city; gifts that he made use of whenever on a site. Whenever he traveled though, it was just like the old days, the instinct to travel light was ingrained in him. Sokka checked his back-sheath. Bomerang II was nestled safely in its place. Then a quick rifle through his pack assured him that everything was accounted for. His fingers brushed something cold and it brought Sokka up short. With exaggerated care he drew the small dark metal band out of his pack. It wasn't much to look at, just a single sleek broken metal band with the ends turned away from each other in decorative curls; the perfect size for a lady's wrist… or a small girl's arm.

Sokka stuffed the band back into his pack, good and deep, trying to bury his thoughts with the trinket. He snatched up the blueprints he'd been working on and in his haste toe one that he'd had held under weights to work on.

"Something on your mind?"

The voice was sultry, sensual, seductive, deadly. It sent a shiver right up Sokka's spine and down to parts best left unmentioned all at once. He turned in a rush, instantly on guard and stopped short; it had been a long time.

Time that had been quite kind it would seem. A thin frame still possessing a lithesome grace, yet the flush of health replacing the pallor of youth, shimmering long black hair that only seemed more luminous against the healthy glow of skin, even the voluminous royal robes could not hide the fullness of womanhood her body possessed, and those eyes, always sharp and calculating there was a fire behind them now, something that had grown in the years since Sokka had last seen her. The overall impression Sokka got though as she flowed in through the door was not that of a woman, but a spider, or perhaps a scorpion; deadly venom lurking beneath a glossy black carapace.

"Mai."

She came forward and in a gesture Sokka found uncharacteristic, hugged him. It was a chaste hug, suitable for a Lady greeting a long missed friend, yet form Mai is carried that ever present hint of danger that made even the smallest contact an adrenaline rush for any man. Sokka remained perfectly still until she had released him and stepped back. She sovered her mouth with the sleeve of her robes and let out a small giggle. It was terrifying and intoxicating in a single breath, "Has The Builder become stone like his great works?"

Sokka cleared his head, and picked up his blueprints… when had he dropped those… to cover. "No, just startled. We didn't see you at the first reunion and well, it's been…" he smiled, slowly regaining his pacing, "Should I be calling you the Fire Lady… her Fireyness, or what?"

Mai folded her hands within the sleeves of her robe and her lips curled into the hints of that all knowing smile, "Mai will do. The years have been kind to you Sokka." Mai's voice was richer tenfold by virtue of simply having emotion and expressing it freely. Sokka was both glad and somewhat terrified she'd connected with this part of herself. Clinical Mai had been dangerous enough. He didn't want to think what an emotional Mai would be capable of. He still couldn't tell if that smile was kindly, or murderous.

"You're not lookin' so bad yerself." Sokka pitched on the Southern Water Tribe Charm he was so very sure every woman appreciated. He gave Mai a wink and a broad smile then drawled, "so what brings you by?"

Mai's face remained unmoved, but she turned towards someone apparently out in the hallway as she spoke, "I came to give you a gift, you are after all a guest of the Fire Nation." Mai reached out and when she drew her arm back a regal looking bird stood perched upon her forearm.

Sokka studied the bird for only a moment before his eyes went wide, "Hawkie!" he yelped, grinning ear to ear in disbelief.

Mai ran a slender finger under the hawk's bean and down it's chest feathers, "He was found by a patrol in the forest years ago. It was by chance that he made his way back to the trainer who sold him to you. That information passed back to us, and we made sure to bring him here. I thought you might wish to be reunited, and it might be easier to stay in contact." Mai held out her arm and Hawkie leapt from it to perch on Sokka's shoulder where he busied himself pecking and picking at the beads on one of Sokka's braids.

"This is amazing, I thought I'd lost him at the air temple." Sokka reached up to pet Hawkie, who gave his fingers an affectionate nipping. The implication wasn't lost on Sokka however. He gave Mai a level look, "Is there a reason I should need to keep in touch?"

At that Mai took in a breath. She reached out and pushed the door nearly closed, shutting out the outside world before taking a step closer to Sokka, "He won't ask for it, stubborn, proud, wonderful fool that he is, but my husband needs your help Sokka." Her voice dropped to a secretive whisper.

"My help? He's the Fire Lord."

"That's just it. He inherited everything his father left him. A country with a hundred years of military tradition, an economy geared entirely towards war, a national treasury emptied in a rush to build the doom fleet of airships, and huge standing army of which as much as ten percent has deserted to become the very burnouts Toph has been terrorizing. Sokka, he's doing what he can to hold things together, but change takes time, and the people are impatient. Before the Avatar came the Fire Nation stood at the height of its power. We were winning the war. Convincing people to make sacrifices and be patient when all you're offering them is 'equal footing' with countries they once called their colonies isn't easy."

Mai had approached closer with each sentence, her hands were clenched against the cuffs of her sleeves in her subconscious desperation, "He's trying Sokka, but war was all he ever knew too. We need help, we need a builder who can show us how to reorganize, how to rebuild, how to put people to work even if it's only to distract them from their anger." Mai stopped, less than a hands breath separated her from Sokka, her face upturned to his. Hawkie took this opportunity to taste Sokka's ear. Sokka didn't notice.

"I had no idea." Sokka fumbled for a response more meaningful. Mai turned away.

"No one does. Many advisors have an inkling, but we both work to keep them in the dark as much as possible. You can never be sure who is loyal and who is a burnout in the making. I don't know how much longer we can keep it up." Mai paused at the window, running a slender hand along the sill, "I don't know how much longer he can keep it all together."

"I'll do what I can." The words sounded dumb on his lips. Sokka's mind was racing back to the past few years. He'd been all over the world, building, rebuilding, shaping the land in the wake of the peace. There was always so much to do, so many who wanted his input. How had he missed this though?

Mai turned back towards him, her hands vanishing within her sleeves again, "Thank you. And now-"

The door squeaked open, and in trundled a little bundle of limbs. A happy cry presaged a rush of motion towards Mai then a tumble of limbs still not quite in line with mind. A second rush of motion, this one far more articulate followed as a maid swept in to gather up the toddler, "A thousand pardons My Lady." The maid said, attempting to gather the fussing child and hide him form view with her long sleeves. Mai raised a hand to forestall the maid, who dutifully shrank back. The toddler regained his orientation and dove for Mai again, latching onto her robes with a gleeful cry of 'Ma'

Mai reached down to brush her fingers over the uncut tangle of black hair that stood atop the toddler's head. Sokka took in the child, his garments, and the events and made the quick deduction but could not quite voice it, "Is that…?"

Mai looked up at him, her face shown for the briefest moment of utter happiness but her old neutral mask covered it so fast it could have been imagined, "Yes Sokka. He is."

"But, there was no announcement, no ceremony…"

"No." Mai crouched down, gently detaching her son's grip from her robes and taking his small hands in hers. He busied himself trying to fit one of her fingers into his mouth, "There wasn't there was just my absence from the first reunion."

Sokka was confused, he stepped closer, crouching down nearby, "But, he's the Son of the Fire Lord."

Mai was still looking at her son when she replied, "Yes, he is." Then her eyes came back up to Sokka, and he felt his blood run cold. "But he is also my son." Sokka knew that look in her eyes was not for him, yet still it set his every sense on high alert, "He will not be used as a gambit, a pawn. He will not be bait for some burnout intrigue. He will not inherent as his father did a country embroiled in turmoil. When Prince Zui is introduced to the people of the fire Nation, they will be a people unified. They will be a people worthy of the Prince he will become."

Sokka swallowed, "I understand." He reached out slowly, and brushed back the bangs on the little boy's brow. Prince Zui reached up with both hands to glomp onto Sokka's wrist. The two watched for a moment as the toddler hand-over-hand walked his way up closer to Sokka, then Mai stood, gathering Prince Zui back towards her, "You should go. The sooner you do the sooner you can return. My second gift is right outside." Mai raised her voice, it was not loud, but utterly commanding, "Nanao, come."

The door opened and in strode a woman in Fire Nation armour. She bowed low to Mai then turned and gave the palm-over-fist salute to Sokka.

"Nanao is a loyal house guard, and a skillful fire bender." Mai began ushering her son towards the door at a leisurely pace. "You will be taking a Fire Balloon to speed your hunt for your earth bending friend will you not? Nanao will serve much better than any hired furnace tender."

Nanao stood silent as a sentinel, eyes straight ahead. Sokka shot Mai a rueful smile as she reached the door, "And when I do find Toph, your guard will be sure that my next stop is right back at the palace, and no where else won't she?"

Mai paused, allowing Prince Zui to pass finally into the hands of her maid. She cast a slow eyed look back over her shoulder towards Sokka and her voice lilted, "You really aren't as dumb as you look. It must be the braids." Without another word, she was gone.


	4. Lessons and Warnings

Thanks to all those who reviewed! Especially thanks to Bluetiger, those reviews are actually in depth enough to be helpful!  Reviews encourage me to keep writing, I write to improve my craft, so feedback is essential to maintain motivation. Without it I lose interest in the project.

One thing, don't necessarily read too much into a character's reactions. Example: Sokka's reaction to Mai. She's scary, she's deadly, but she is a woman, and an attractive one, and Sokka's a male. It's not really a shippy reaction to notice that she's a woman, just a male one. I try to write characters as people more than concepts, so, complex reactions tend to be more the norm than simple ones 

Disclaimer 1A(I own nothing!)

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A sense of motion, a tingling along her body, as if every part of her had gone to 'sleep' at once. Toph tried to move her fingers and found only a sluggish response. She opened her eyes, a futile gesture but one she still associated with 'seeing.' Nothing. Toph moved her body… she wasn't on the ground. Her feet felt something smooth beneath her.

Bars.

A Cage.

It wasn't metal though. Toph slowly rolled over and felt her prison shift with her weight. Sounds of exertion and grunts of surprise gave the impression she was being carried. Probably by more than one man. Toph ran her fingers along the bars of her cage. It was smooth, but not cold to the touch. Even her basic sense of touch was fuzzy. The curve of the bar seemed odd though. It tapered towards the bottom, and was lashed together with all the others at a point beneath her. Bones. That's what they had to be. Rib bones from something big. Toph sat up and bumped her head. The cage was big enough, only just. Toph was once again reminded that if she'd just bothered to grow even a few more inches like any normal person she wouldn't have half the problems she did.

There were more shouts, Toph focused on her hearing. It seemed her mind was too fuzzy to work more than one input at a time.

"-awake Sir."

"I see that. Troop Halt! We'll Make Camp in the lee of that ridge. Jito, Lee, look for a suitable cave. You have fifteen minutes."

The voice sent a shock of remembered trauma through Toph. That was the Captain… Anzu. She gripped the bars of her cage, orienting by sound on the voice. Fear wasn't a reaction Toph was used to, but being suspended off the ground in a cage with her every sense jumbled and the man who did it barking orders only a few feet away was doing it.

"Welcome back to the land of the living Toph Bei Fong." The voice was neutral, crisp, military.

Toph forced her hands to unclench from the bars. She tried to sound relaxed.

"Yah, whatever. What do you want with me anyway burnout?"

"Bait, for the Avatar."

Toph's cage was moved, and lowered slightly. The sound of wood on wood reached her ears then it became still.

"Can't you burnouts just give it up already? Your own Fire Lord is friends with the Avatar. Ozai lost, get over it."

"This isn't about Lord Ozai." The voice got closer and dropped in height. He must've crouched. "Here, I want you to look at this."

Toph smirked, "Hello? BLIND HERE. I can't LOOK at anything!" She waved a hand in front of her vacant eyes for good measure.

The voice wasn't perturbed or gloating when it replied, "You can see quite clearly, provided the right medium. Now, look." A strong hand grabbed her wrist. Toph fought instinctively, but her body was still too warbled from whatever he had done to her. She ceased even struggling the moment her fingers touched earth. Instinctively she 'saw.' There was a weird numbness even in her bending. She could feel the earth beneath her fingers, and the extent of the container it was held in. It was a tray, two foot by one, but only half an inch deep.

"Don't."

Toph froze. She had been feeling out how much she could control the earth. Anzu's command held a clear warning.

"What did you do to me?" she asked, trying to jerk her hand back again without success.

"There is no name for it that I know. Though it will likely pass in time. I have never been able to cause permanent damage before. Now, look."

Toph opened her mouth to protest, instead it simply hung open. Anzu was drawing in the earth-box with a fingertip. Quick, precise motions traced out apparently abstract patterns, but Toph knew them… vaguely. She had 'felt' similar things, at times, in stonework.

They were words.

"What do you think?"

The question was neutral, honest. He didn't know.

Toph was suddenly too tired to fight. How could she have not thought of something like this before? How much had she missed? Her head dropped forward against the bars of her cage, and she mumbled out, "I can't read."

"Hmm." The sound was Neutral. Anzu pressed a hand over the earth in the tray, flattening down the lines. Toph stifled an outcry as those unknown words, her first, vanished.

New Lines appeared. They seemed more simple than the first ones.

"The phonetic Alphabet is the first taught to any child in school. In that system this is A. And this is B."

More Lines. Toph sat rapt, her situation utterly forgotten. Time stretched on. When the command 'Show me A' came between two other letters Toph bent the earth to mimic what she remembered. She was corrected without admonishment when she made mistakes. There was zero encouragement as well, not that she needed any.

Letters progressed.

The sun set and a chill set in but the lesson continued. It was the sound of slight snoring rising from the exhausted earth bender that brought the lesson to a close.

***

Sokka looked over the map for the hundredth time in way too short a period. When he looked up the mountain range and desert below still hadn't moved significantly. Even a balloon could only move so fast in five minutes. Taiyashi was their goal, and the information they'd gotten sending them here worried him. Toph had left a fairly easy trail to follow. Her battles were escalating worse and worse. Sokka reached up and ran his fingers along his short beard, a developing habit.

"What do you know about this place?" Sokka tapped the map and looked over at his perennially mute companion.

Nanao, with her helmet off, was a soft featured woman perhaps six years Sokka's senior. She gave away little and spoke even less. She wore full battle armor every waking moment of the day, and carried in addition to a straight sword, an array of knives and daggers that would arm a bandit brigade quite nicely. She'd only taken her helmet off after the tenth time today Sokka had complained about its creepiness. At this prompting she blinked at him, twice, then spoke, "I know only that I know nothing of it, not even its name. It is a village, like so many others, beyond the realm of importance."

Sokka rolled the map up slowly. That was more than he'd gotten out of Nanao all trip. He had been questioning if she was capable of stringing two words together at all.

"But, there's supposed to be this Captain there. Captain Anzu? You ever heard of him?"

"No."

And they were back to one word at a time. The deluge was short lived.

Sokka peered over the edge of the basket they were in, Nanao turned to shoot another jet of fire into the Balloon's depths, feeding the fire that kept it aloft.

"So…" Sokka rolled his eyes back, looking for something to comment on, "You're… heavily armed for a fire bender?"

Nanao looked flatly back at Sokka. Trying again he prompted, "Why?"

"Lady Mai directs our training."

That made sense Sokka mused. Mai had been known for her excessive amounts of knives. Still, there was a problem with it.

"Doesn't all that get in the way of your bending? Fire Bending isn't exactly the most, you know, static sort of thing."

Nanao blinked at him several times, slowly, a metronome would be impressed. "Fire Bending in the personal quarters of the Palace is forbidden, and, unwise."

"Why?"

"Wood."

"Oh. That… makes sense then."

And with that the conversation died. Sokka looked back out over the edge of the basket. Taiyashi was still not in sight, but on the road. Sokka squinted, "Bring us down, bring us down!"

Without waiting Sokka leapt up and yanked the release cord. Hot air vented from the balloon and they dropped dangerously quickly.

Nanao tried to stand, staggered, and sat back down hard. She snatched up her helmet and had a dagger in hand, pulling herself up into a standing position against one of the bracing ropes. Sokka was clinging to the edge of the basket, working the guide-cords of the balloon like the long-time pilot he was. The balloon hit the ground hard, bounced once, and Sokka was out of the basket, leaving Nanao to worry about securing it. Sokka ran, waving an arm.

"Haru! Haru!"

The earth bender was walking, ambling, in a daze. His eyes rested on Sokka but no recognition set in until Sokka skidded to a stop before him and grabbed him by the shoulders, "What happened to you? Where's Toph?"

Haru was shivering. He moved like a man in the grips of a palsy, or a drunkard. His arms came up and his hands gripped Sokka's shoulders, but his touch was weak, "Sokka! Thank the earth spirits… she's." A tremor ran up Haru and his legs gave out. He collapsed against Sokka. Sokka eased him to the ground, cradling Haru's head in his lap. Nanao came up while Sokka was still trying to revive Haru. She reached out and lifted one of the earth bender's eyelids, then checked his pulse.

"Exhaustion."

Nanao unclipped a small metal water flask from her waist and applied it to Haru's lips.

The effect was immediate. Most of the water spilled out the corners of Haru's mouth but his eyes few open and he gulped down a few mouthfuls before sputtering, "Sokka!" he clutched at Sokka's tunic. "Sokka. He took her!" Haru slid back down, his eyes closing. He muttered in a pained voice, "He took my bending."

Sokka shifted around, bracing up Haru's head on his arm, "Haru who took her? Who did this?" But Haru was gone again. This time it was a deep sleep that neither Sokka nor Nanao could revive him from without violence. Adding up the possibilities Sokka looked up at Nanao, "Help me get him into the balloon. Then get the lure, we need to send a message."

Toph was in trouble, Haru was hurt. The only lead they had was Taiyashi and a Captain Anzu. A routine trip had suddenly gone south and Sokka didn't like it. Memories of the days before Aang had beaten Ozai came flooding back. Sokka cursed himself inwardly for letting his swordplay fall by the wayside in deference to his building projects.

They set Haru onto the basket's floor and when Nanao held out Hawkie's Lure to Sokka he took it, then extended his other hand, "Give me your sword too."


	5. Reason

Since it won't be addressed in the story itself, but I wanted to answer the big question about why the reading/writing lesson was done(it had a purpose. My characters don't do things without a purpose, even if it's a purpose of their own twisted logic) I thought I'd let Captain Anzu answer it in his 'own words' or you Bluetiger:

"That which is written is meant to be read, not heard."

And so, on with the next bit

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"Comany... HALT. Break Down by squad and make camp. Dinner in twenty, Smokeless fires only tonight, use your heavy blankets or double up."

Toph's cage swung to a standstill, the interruption in the pendulous motion startling her out of her stupor. Days had bled together in a cycle of inactivity and sleep. Toph hadn't gone through such a long time without being able to 'see' since before she learned to earthbend. She'd forgotten how it turned time into an endless maddening morass. She found herself counting the number of steps her bearers took between breaks, or seeing just how many braids she could manage to put in her hair. Toph couldn't remember a time she'd spent ts much time playing with her hair... ever. The few sparkling monts in life had become her reading and writing lessons, and when she could manage to get one of her guards chatty at night.

The former was energized both by the newfound but desperate need to learn. This was another link to normal, to life the way other people lived it, and though she'd sooner bury herself in a lionant hill than admit it, Toph craved normality, at least now and again. The lessons also let her use her bending. Those brief times when she could see, even if it was just a little tray of earth, were like having a blindfold lifted just a bit, the pure sensation of bending was a thrill. Her bending, and her energy had slowly recovered. Toph thought now and again of trying to use the little bit of earth in that tray to make a break for it, but it seemed like a bit too much of a risk without something else to tip things in her favor. Captain Anzu was proving to be a difficult read. In the brief moments when his fingers touched the earth and Toph could get a line to his heart she found little to go on. He was neutral, a flat line, nearly empty if she could venture a guess. The closest thing she'd met on that level before was Azula. He was patient, methodical, and neither encouraging nor temperamental in his teaching. He wouldn't even say why he was teaching her. Every night when they stopped though, a little time was devoted to moving along her much delayed education.

Talking with her guards was a bit more engaging socially, when they would talk. Toph had learned their voices and a few of their names. By now after hearing a single response she could tell if it was someone who'd be company, or a stone statue watching over her.

Toph waited until the initial bustle of camp making died down and she heard the tramp of buckles and plates indicating her armored guard had taken up his post. Toph hoped it wasn't Tsuka.

Feeling a bit of mischief Toph reached as far as she could through the bars and flailed her hand around at empty air,"Hey, come closer, or how else am I supposed to knock you out and take your keys?"

It was an idle threat. The cage had no locks, it was lashed together, tied off, and sealed with pitch. There wasn't any quick way of getting out. But the outrageous claim screamed for a reply of some kind, and Toph was well rewarded,"I'll stay right where I am my diminutive prisoner. You have only to grow your limbs a little longer and you'll have your freedom."

"Not funny Raikun." Toph pouted.

"I am soldier after all."

One of the more talkative ones, thank goodness. "Awww c'mon. You'd like it if I got out. You could chase me, there'd be fighting all kinds of good honest mayhem to get me back in. I'm dieing in here, how can I grow any when you guys never let me stretch my legs?"

"Yes, let the Earth Bender walk about for a bit, that's a splendid idea. My ribs still haven't forgotten what happened the last time your feet were on the ground."

"Yeah uhhh, sorry 'bout that." Toph rubbed one hand back through her hair nervously. She had the odd feeling it was getting **cleaner** the longer she spent in the cage. "I wouldn't have done it if you weren't burnouts you know." Toph wrapped her arms around her knees, her voice sinking to a soft mumble.

Raikun's voice kept on blithely good natured. "Well, in the end it's a good thing you did. I haven't seen the Captain this animated since the Fire Lord was beaten. If you hadn't come along he probably would have drunk himself to pieces."

Toph grunted non commitally. Raikun didn't seem to notice.

"Haven't seen him or the Sarge this drummed up in forever. I mean, we're actually getting men back in the unit. The embers are being stoked."

Raikun sounded positively elated. Toph had thought she heard more noise than when she had first been captured, but her guards had only ever consisted of soldiers from the original eleven. Raikun's upbeat energy prompted a bitter response, "Why're you DOING this? Gathering men for what? I mean, why can't you just get on with your lives?"

Her voice had gotten louder than Toph had intended. The camp noise around the cage ceased. It was only for a moment before it resumed again, but it was a long pace before Raikun answered her.

"I'm here because the Captain is here. If he's fighting, that's where I belong. I don't care who's Fire Lord or why."

There was a matter of factness about Raikun's answer that gave Toph pause. It didn't sound like the brainwashed gibberish of a soldier, but something deliberate and final.

"So okay then why's HE doing this?"

Raikun's next answer was honest in it's uncertainty,"I... don't know."

"I'll tell you."

The new voice sent a jolt through Toph. Thick and rumbly, it was the voice of Sergeant Kumon.

The exact amount of time for impact passed, just when adrenaline was ebbing he spoke again,"Soldier, I think the latrines need to be redug. Ten feet further out, and twice as deep, and be sure to refill the old ones first. Once you finish I'll change my mind and want the old ones reopened and the new ones closed up, are we clear?"

"Yes Sergeant." Raikun's voice was parade ground precision. Even without her bending Toph could feel the snapped off salute and the rush to flee the presence of Kumon's ire.

Toph wasn't so lucky.

Kumon was the kind of soldier Toph had heard about, but never met. Authority wasn't really herthing, but the bear-like growl of Kumon's voice, the way he pitched his words so you felt them to the tops of your fingernails, and the sense of utter competence that bled from him brooked no argument. Toph liked Sergeant Kumon as far from her as possible.

A sharp impact jolted Toph's cage. Kumon's 'motivational enhancer'. A polished three foot length of supple wood that he applied whenever words seemed to lack the proper emphasis. He liked ot rattle Toph's cage with it.

"You want to know what makes the Captain tick do you?" Kumon paused for an answer. Toph , scrunched over to the far side of the cage, didn't offer one.

From the pitch in his voice Kumon was crouching beside her cage, the belligerence went out of his voice, but Toph could still feel it there, a viperfish beneath the surface.

"I'll tell you why, clever little spy that you are. I'll tell you why because it won't make one lick of difference in your knowing. In fact, I'm willing to bet knowing will be even worse than not knowing for you." Kumon paused again, this time the reason was made evident by the slight slur in his speech when he picked up. He was chewing on something. "You can break a man down by his motivations. Learn what he loves; steal it from him; beat it out of him; cut him down. Thing is, you won't do that to the Captain."

Toph wanted to cover her ears. As much as she wanted to know, she didn't want to hear it from Kumon. Nothing good ever came from Kumon. Still, she kept her hands down, knuckles white on clenched fists.

"The Captain's not a bender. Do you know what that means?"

Toph didn't even turn her face towards Kumon, she sat perfectly still.

"Guess not. There's a simple truth to promotion within the Fire Nation. Powerful Benders get promoted. If you don't Bend, you don't advance. Now imagine exactly how hard a man who has no bending ability \to his name must work in order to work his way up to Captain. Captain of a line company, not simply a backwater garrison."

Kumon's voice got closer, Toph froze to prevent herself scooting away again.

"Get it yet little bender? He's good. Captain Anzu's a damn fine soldier. He poured his life into this army, and then your Avatar comes in and puts a halt to the war. In a single fell swoop all the effort means nothing. There's no recognition for victories, no pride in achievement. Now there's just recriminations, reparations, and retirement. Old soldiers are seen as symbols of Oozai's repression. Children are told of the bad times before the peace. Bad times? Ha. The fire nation was on top of the world! We had it all before your Avatar came and took it away. Glory days is more like it. Captain Anzu's going to kill your Avatar and set the world in motion again. I'm going to make it happen."

Kumon's voice was once again that deep rumble. There was something ugly and terrifying lurking under that rumble. Toph couldn't place it, she didn't think she wanted to. She just knew that men like this shouldn't exist. Fighting was one thing, a good natured brawl was fun and games. Kumon was talking a kind of chaos and war that no one had known since the very beginning of the war a hundred years ago. The kind of violence that had destroyed the Air Tribe. Toph's hands came up finally, to plug up her ears, but she could still hear Kumon's laughter as he walked away.

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Up next:Rescue! I had wanted to include it in with this bit, but I felt a need for a 'breath' after Sergeant Kumon. It maybe up later tonight or tomorrow, depending if I can unfreeze my fingers.(it's COLD HERE!)


	6. Rescue

Ugh, I'm sick, but I the next bit done. Uncertain how soon until next update, prolly Sunday at the earliest. I'm going home for the holidays.

"Think we can take them?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Veterans."

"Damn." Sokka frowned and lowered his spyglass. Beside him Nanao wore her helmet so he couldn't read her face, not that it was much of an open book anyway. On the other side of her Haru squinted at the far off camp. Nestled in the lee of another stony upthrust, about thirty figures milled around in normal camp activities during the waning hours of the evening.

Sokka retrained his glass on the camp and picked out Toph's cage again, "There's only one guard on her. Her cage is right near the edge of the camp." Sokka chewed his bottom lip, "I don't like this."

"Trap."

Sokka nodded, "Exactly. It's way too easy, even following them. But why set a trap? Who could they be expecting to follow them?" Sokka was only slightly less troubled by the fact that he was beginning to understand his monosyllabic companion than he was about the apparent trap.

"Well, we've got to do something don't we? We can't just leave her there." Haru frowned across Nanao at Sokka, then turned his gaze back at the camp, "I want another crack at them…"

"I know, but barging in is going to get us very dead, very fast. Here." Sokka handed his spyglass over Nanao to Haru, "Do you see the Captain?"

Haru put his eye to the glass and after a brief moment of startlement began to scan the camp. He shook his head at length, "Don't see him, he must be in one of those tents. The big one they had before is gone, so, I don't know which it would be." He handed back the spyglass with a disgruntled look, "We're still going to do something, right?"

Sokka closed and opened his spyglass slowly, letting the rhythmic tk tk tk of metal on metal focus his mind.

"Do you think you can at least hold them off long enough for me to get her free?"

"No."

"There's only two benders, we can do it." Haru's voice was quavering, his hands tense against the rocks that hid them.

"There were only two when you fought them. You also said there were only eleven soldiers. Besides, how good is your earth bending?"

"Good enough." Haru struck the boulder he hid behind, driving a crater into it's side as proof.

"Shhhh!" Sokka leapt halfway over Nanao and grabbed Haru's hand, "You'll give us awa-."

Sokka stopped, transfixed by the dent Haru had driven into the boulder. He stayed there, frozen, half laying across the armored Nanao and holding Haru's wrist until a quiet voice brought him back to reality.

"Move."

Sokka turned his head and blinked into the eye-slits of Nanaro's helm a second before he scrambled back off her and held up his hands, "Sorry, sorry." He colored just a touch before pointing at Haru's crater, "But look. I've got a plan."

Blank looks regarded him so Sokka elaborated.

"I'd been thinking about this desert we're in. It's not very big, and these little ridges and hills of stone seem to follow lines." Sokka pointed back the way they'd came, "What if they're like, the tops of mountains buried under the sand? Then all we really have to do is run in, run out, and have Haru bend us a tunnel into that rock there. We can loop back under the sand to this rock, and they'll never be able to follow us or guess where we're going."

Haru whistled lowly. Nanao was more pessimistic.

"Risky."

Sokka nodded, stowing his Spyglass and undoing the travel knot on his borrowed sword, "I know, but we can't wait. There's no telling what these burnouts are after." Sokka gripped the hilt of his blade, "I wish we'd heard back from Zuko, but I'm not willing to let them keep her one moment longer than I have to."

Beside him Nanao was readying her own weapons. Haru had none, he was half-crouched behind his cover, looking ready to pounce. Sokka scooted around beside him and put a hand on his shoulder, "Just keep your head, and stay away form this Captain if you see him. If you lose your ability to bend again, we're done."

Haru swallowed once, but nodded. A touch of the eagerness had gone out of his face, but it was replaced by grim resolve.

Sokka turned to Nanao, "I need you to keep them off me. Nothing fancy, don't try and take anyone out. If you see Haru running like hell from someone, you should probably run too. That'll be the Captain."

"Yes."

"Alright, let's do this."

***

Things started off well. In a flash of inspiration Haru had used his bending to stir up a sand cloud. The mock storm made it as hard for them to see as the burnouts, but the camp wasn't exactly a mobile target. Soldiers were rushing about, trying to tie down tents and secure supplies when the storm died off abruptly, and three people materialized out of the swirling sands.

Sokka launched into a mad dash for Toph's cage. His flight went largely unnoticed amid the Chaos of Nanao and Haru's entrance. The sound of flames and rushing sand mingled with shouts of surprise and anger. Sokka had only eyes for his goal. Tph's cage was guarded by a young looking Fire Nation soldier, who's armor was missing both helmet and shoulder plates. The soldier drew his blade and stood between the cage and Sokka, but his stance was wary, nervous. He kept glancing past Sokka, not focusing, his loss.

Sokka drew his blade on the charge. The slippery sand beneath his feet actually helped him. He struck with a low thrust that the soldier instinctively parried hard to the side. Instead of fighting it Sokka spun with the momentum, the sand slid under his boot heel and his blade came around in a blur. Fortune favored the youth and Sokka's blow struck the thin protection over his collarbone where his breast and black plates met. Still, the force of the impact sent him to the ground and Sokka followed up with a boot to the teeth that took him out of the fight.

"Toph, hold tight, we'll get you out of there."

"Sokka?!" Toph had already pressed herself against the edge of her cage, her head tilted in concentration as she tried to make sense of the cacophony of sounds. As she spoke though her gaze whipped around and her unfocused eyes stared directly at him.

Sokka couldn't quite place her expression.

"I'll have you down in a jiffy." Sokka eyed the construction of the cage. It looked durable as hell. He sheathed his blade and reached for one of the supports keeping it aloft when stars exploded across his vision.

Sokka reeled, but retained enough sense to stagger away from the impact and put a hand to his sword in the process. Sokka came around to square off against a short man tapping a slender wooden club against the palm of his opposite hand, "Don't think so boy."

The man had a hard voice, too big for his size, and under a tightly fitted lacquered breastplate he was a hard lined mass of muscle and mean. He gave Sokka time to draw before casually striding forward, his stick swinging loosely back and forth, "Oh boy; you have no idea the world of hurt you're in for."

"Sergeant!" Another voice, crisp and clear cut through the adrenaline of the moment.

Sokka's focus expanded to include the newcomer. Tall, hard in a manner different than the Sergeant, he moved with a calmness that spoke of command. He wasn't' wearing armor like the other soldiers, instead he wore a crisp dress uniform, clean and pressed as if on parade.

"Sir?" Kumon didn't lower his guard, but his attention left Sokka completely.

"Go take care of that." The newcomer, Captain Anzu or Sokka was a monkey-lemur, gestured to the Chaos that surrounded Haru and Nanao. From his peek Sokka couldn't make out much of what was happening, but there sure was a lot of it.

"Sir!" Kumon stiffened and ran off without a moment's hesitation. This was taking too long.

Sokka backed towards Toph's cage again. He risked a glance her way and saw her straining against the bars, craning her head to keep track of things, "Sokka, get out of here!" She warned, waving an arm impotently in the air.

"No way Toph, we're taking you home." Sokka rounded back on Captain Anzu who was eyeing him up calmly.

"Not a bender?" Anzu guessed, "Then, this might be interesting." He drew his own blade, a slightly thinner version of Sokka's own.

"I'd ask why you're doing this." Sokka retorted as he advanced, his mind desperately trying to recall his lessons, "But right now, I don't really care."

Anzu's stance was erect, calm, one arm held in the small of his back and his blade low before him. He was neither old, nor young by Sokka's estimate. His hair had no hints of gray, but his eyes and face had lost the freshness of youth. His eyes seemed slightly unfocused, vacant. It was a bit unnerving.

Seconds passed, Sokka knew he didn't have them to throw away. He waited for the right moment. A shockwave rippled through the camp from the direction of the melee and Sokka staggered. The tip of his blade bit into the sand then a flick of the wrist brought it up, sending a handful of sand at Anzu's eyes. The trick didn't play out though, Anzu sidestepped and lunged in, their blades met and the fight began in earnest.

Sokka's been told his fights often looked amazing, and praised boy his fast thinking and grace. He never got any of that. Fighting was a series of moments of death and triumph. Sometimes they blended together. Sometimes they seemed a series of disjointed instances, separated by immeasurable gulfs of time. He came out of it to the sound of Anzu's blade hitting sand.

"Very good." That he didn't seem phased by the loss of his sword mitigated the small sense of victory Sokka felt. Anzu settled into a stance that Sokka recognized from Kaatara… water bending?

Anzu moved and caught off guard, Sokka braced instead of responding. No water came, no supernatural blast, but Anzu's strike trapped Sokka's wrists, a quick twist sent his own sword flying then with a rise and fall motion that was all too familiar Anzu rolled his wrists and both palms struck Sokka full in the chest.

Sokka hit the sand hard, he rolled to his feet but Anzu was on him. Sokka had't trained unarmed combat. Who did? Apparently Anzu. Bending, without bending. Sokka staggered back from a flurry of Fire, took a blow to the ribs from Earth, and was sent spinning by a kick from Air. Gasping, heaving, he pushed himself up onto one knee. His head was ringing from the kick. Blood was pounding in his ears, but he could still tell that the sounds had died down from afar.

"You've lost. Well fought. The odds were against you." Anzu's eyes were alive now. There was light where there had been none before. His fingers flexed as he approached.

"Then, I better even 'em." Sokka reached back and tugged Boomerang II from it's sheath. With a practiced aim that would never go away Sokka hurled the weapon past the Captain. It flew true and the weighted end struck his target clean. With a sharp snap one of the wooden rods keeping Toph's cage aloft was smashed and the whole thing toppled, unbalanced, to the ground. The result was immediate. Toph might have been jostled by the impact, but her hand touched sand through the bars and the cage exploded into countless splinters as her bending sent a fountain of hardened stand up around her, engulfing the diminutive bender.

When the fountain cleared Toph was on her feet. She stepped up beside Sokka, "Not that I'm not grateful, but last time I tried this I got my butt kicked, so I'm not sure how much better this is going to be."

Not waiting, Sokka grabbed Toph's hand, they could make a break for the rock. It would be just like the plan had started, only Nanao and Haru weren't here. It wasn't a win, but Sokka was trying to prevent a total loss at this point.

Anzu dropped his guard unexpectedly, "Well played…" He was looking past them. He turned and ran, stooping only to snap up his sword as he went.

Utterly confused Sokka turned back over his shoulder, then laughed. A dozen airships were arrayed in wedge formation descending over the camp. Sokka laughed even when his legs gave out. Toph's confused protests of 'What? What is it? What happened?" went unanswered.


	7. Brief Reunions

Sorry for the typos, I fixed a couple, I plead certain DEATH due to illness unlike any which hath gnawed upon my bones in the past.

Zuko's back, now with more agnst! I figure if I don't include at least a little agnst on his part people won't recognize him.

I'm wondering if the last tiny section has the proper impact, if people can make the connections or if I was too obtuse.

To TwilightGD: Sokka has had a few passing brushes with unarmed combat. wouldn't consider himself 'trained' It's like getting the 1 yr black belt at your local 'dragon gym' Sure, you can probably beat up someone else who hasn't trained, but you're really not ready for anything serious. Ty Lee handled him pretty much without effort, even when he WAS armed.

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The gentle rush of chill air flt good. It warred with the bruises and ache of bones; one trying to clear his mind the other cloud it. Even now the descent of the airships was still jumbled a bit in his mind.

Jets of fire setting the camp alight.

Toph collapsing beside him just as managed to get to his feet again.

Carying Toph towards one of the ships as touched down.

"General Lee will continue the pursuit, you are to be safely escourted back to the capitol. Please, let Private Kaizu lead you to the sick bay."

Now, drifting serenely over the last of the low peaks towards the capitol, watching Hawkie lazily drift alongside the airship catching thermals from the exhaust ports, Sokka felt some unsettling disconnect. Haru was resting, as was Toph. Nanao was missing in action. That bothered Sokka more than he expected. He felt a pang of responsibility for her, it had been his notion to rush in unprepared. If only they waited just a few more minutes. Not that they had any way knowing help was coming. Their backup had kept hawkie behind until the ships could be assembled, so that they could follow him as he 'homed' back to Sokka.

It all made sense; their actions, his actions. The outcome was nothing but bitter, no matter how he turned it. He needed to look on the bright side. They'd rescued Toph, and this General Lee was pursuing the burns with the rest of the relief detachment. Why so many airships were needed to chase down ground-bound troops Sokka couldn't figure, but he hadn't been paying too much attention to that at the end. Maybe they had airships of their own? Airships were kind of rd to hide. Balloon's maybe then like the one-

"Hey! What's the big idea, leaving me to wake up in some strange place surrounded by fire nation soldiers? Don't you think I'd've had enough of that by now?"

Sokka jumped, and caught the railing to keep from upending himself. He rounded to see Toph, dressed in a fire nation tunic many sizes to big for her, slowly edging her way out onto the gantry. Something had klinked against the rail as he cought it.

"Toph!" Sokka said, then immediately felt stupid for it. "Ummm I didn't realize you'd be up yet. The medic said you needed rest. Something about muscle deterioration."

"Yeah right." Toph shook back one sleeve of the tunic until she could poke a hand out then grasped the railing and used it to creep forward. If Sokka didn't know better he'd swear she'd picked up a fear of heights, "I sit in a cage for a few weeks, and they decide the best thing for me is to lay in bed? I don't think so. Now c'mere so I can hit you."

"Uhhh, no thanks?" Yet Sokka stepped forward and reached out to brace the unsteady earth bender. "Toph, what's wrong?"

Toph stepped in, sliding forward without raising her feet, "Wrong? What's wrong?" She raised a hand a thumped him in the chest, but it lacked the usual bone bruising force, "I'm stuck in these clown clothes because my own were to dirty even for *me* to wear." *thump*"I'm in a stupid airship way up in the sky." *thump* "I haven't been on metal in so long I can barely see where I'm going." *thump* "I spent what seemed like forever in that cage. No one came to get me." *thump* "He- he took away my bending Sokka!" *thump* With the last impact Toph all but collapsed against him. Sokka was startled by a sound he'd never head before. Toph sobbing. She shook with the effort of it. Her hands dug at his tunic, strong fingers curling into death grips, "Why... why didn't you come sooner?"

There was no answering. Sokka wrapped his arms around his small friend and held her. The sobs turned to tears, but the tears held on a good long time. When at last there seemed to be no more Sokka finally spoke, "Toph. I'm sorry."

Once more the quiet rush of the air dominated the hanging gantry. Sokka realized he was holding something in his hand. Peeking over Toph he glanced down, and tried to remember when he'd gotten THAT out of his bag.

"Toph?"

Her fingers uncurled, and she smoothed his tunic almost self-consciously, "Yeah?" she seemed to be collecting herself fairly quickly, her voice held none of the quaver of emotion one might expect.

"I uh, just thought... umm…" Sokka gave up trying to find some adequate explanation and took Toph's left hand in his, then slipped the star metal ornament over it onto her arm. Toph blinked at it for a moment before comprehension sank in, and Sokka managed to finally come up with, "I thought, something familiar might help."

Toph raised a hand and closed her fingers about the charm. For Sokka the gesture brought back a sharp jolt of memories. To keep them from taking hold he gave Toph a little nudge, "We should get you inside." He spoke quickly, "Even if you don't' want to be in bed, you need to take it easy for a bit."

Whatever thoughts came back to Toph, Sokka didn't know. She let herself be lead quietly inside without protest.

***

"So, where's everybody else?"

They were back inside, in Sokkas 'cabin' on the airship. Sokka had scrounged up a hot cup of tea for Toph who sat curled about it on his bed. The military layout of the airship didn't leave enough room on the floor to sit, so Sokka leaned against the opposite wall, his arms folded. Toph's question had the clear innocence of someone who had been detached from things for a long time, that didn't make answers any easier.

"Well." Sokka tried to figure out where to start, "Zuko's the Fire Lord. He's the one who wanted me to come find you in the first place…" Sokka winced, that didn't sound right, he held up his hands in defense, "I mean, before we even knew you were in trouble."

Toph sipped her tea.

"Umm, Aang, well, I don't know where Aang is. He vanished not long after you left. Kataara went after him. She used to send letters at first, but they kind of trailed off. She's somewhere near the equator last I knew. What she's doing I don't know though."

Sokka quieted down. Toph didn't let him get away with it though.

"And Suki?"

"She's…" Sokka felt his stomach knot up and shifted his position, closing his arms in a bit closer to ward of a nonexistent chill, "Married; on Kiyoshi Island. From what I know things are going well for her."

"Oh."

Toph leaned upward and her hand passed by his head. Sokka stayed still, slightly confused. Her hand made a second pass and snagged one of his braids, "What is this?" her voice held a familiar mixture of sarcasm and taunting. Sokka smiled in his appreciation.

"It's kind of a family tradition. Like the beard."

"Beard?" Toph stood up on her tiptoes, reaching up and running a hand roughly over Sokka's face, "Oh brother." She smirked and sat down.

"What? I think it makes me look dashing." Sokka rubbed his chin defensively.

Toph laughed and took a sip from her tea then spoke, staring someplace past the far wall of Sokka's room, "You've gotten taller."

"Thanks. You…not so much."

Toph leaned forward and punched him affectionately. It was Sokka's bad luck that the combination of being seated on the low bed, her height, and fuzzy 'metal sight' left her striking him in a more sensitive spot than normal. He dropped like a rock.

"What? You big baby. I. Oh jeez!" Toph put two and two together and leapt up, setting, and spilling, her tea on the tiny shelf beside the bed.

Sokka caught his breath, "No.." he gritted out the words, "No problem Toph… I'm good." She was wedged in against him on her knees, he waved her off, "No, I'm okay…"

They both tried to get up at once and went nowhere, then Sokka went first and Toph bounced her head off his chin. The third shot Toph got up first and Sokka tripped her trying to extend his legs in the confined space. They ended up in a pile. Sokka wasn't sure who started laughing first, but by the time they stopped they were both too exhausted to get up. The messenger who came to inform them of the final approach found them still wedged between the bed and the wall, sound asleep.

***

The clothes felt itchy and too new, but at least they were the right size. Cleaned, primped, well fe,d and, above all else, on sweet solid ground again, Toph was shown into a small private meeting room. She could immediately recognize Zuko, Mai, and Sokka now. It felt so wonderful to be able to 'see' again. Toph 'looked' at Sokka a bit longer than the others. So much got tangled up now when she thought about him. Her head, heart, and pride were each pulling her in different ways. The Star Metal arm band felt hot against her skin.

Sokka was relaying the last of their battle to Zuko when Toph slipped in. She stepped up to the table and listened.

"-n't really know much more than that. I didn't want to push Toph too hard on it on the way back."

Zuko turned to her. "Are you ready to talk about what happened? Anything you might remember can make a difference." His voice held the same intensity as ever, his heart rate had picked up though, there was no disguising that. Zuko had never been the most sedate of people, but he was strung tighter than ever before.

"I can try." Toph climbed up onto a chair, grumbling as her feet barely touched the ground. "They wanna kill the Avatar."

"Oh, how original." Mai quipped from the side.

"Well, they're professional, like *really* professional. I've banged my share of burnout heads in the past, and way back when we fought soldiers, even those guys weren't half as sharp as these. They're loyal to their Captain, and he's not your average nut job."

Zuko picked up in her pause, "I had Captain Anzu's records pulled. His unit was a line regiment. Back in my father's day most of the regiments were home guard; basically over armed police. There wasn't much real fighting to be done, so only a couple regiments were maintained to line standards. That's why you've never seen this kind of solider before." Toph heard the rustle of paper as Zuko continued, "Anzu's profile shows dedication, calculation, and a fierce competitiveness. That he made Captain under my father without any bending at all says something. There's nothing there that says why he'd want the Avatar dead specifically though."

"I think I got that one. There was this sergeant guy with a stick."

"I remember him." Sokka rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, well. Aside from being very creepy he seemed to make it sound like the end of the war made nothing of everything they'd done. Like it was some kind of personal insult for Aang to come and bring peace."

Toph heard the sound of paper crumpling. Then Mai's voice, "Zuko, don't."

"Why not?" Zuko snapped, "Everything comes back to it. I don't know what I'm doing here. Uncle left for Ba Singh Ce. Azula alienated most of the royal advisors in the what? Less than a day she was in charge. Father wasn't exactly a shining example. I spent years of my life chasing the Avatar I should have spent learning how to be a proper ruler. 'The Fire nation needs a ruler with impeccable honor.' What good does honor do when your people are going hungry?"

Sokka heaved a sigh and dropped his head in his hands, "The Line regiments made the other nations nervous. Not to mention my father emptied the treasury with his spending on those damn airship super weapons. I had to disband them because we couldn't pay them, and it was a show of good will to the world. Then jobs, where to put them? So many colonists came flooding back after the peace. Without Fire Nation rule they didn't' feel safe on foreign soil. Every solution isn't own set of problems. I just can't find a way to make it all work. I just can't get it right." Zuko's voice dragged out from anger to weariness to pained exhaustion.

Mai came forward and laid a hand gently on his back. "Shhh Zuko, stop it. No one could be expected to be ready for this." She looked across the table towards Sokka.

"Yeah.. um she's right. If it helps any, I don't think I could have done half as much as you have, hearing only a fraction of your problems."

"Thanks Sokka." Zuko's voice had regained some of it's strength, he was looking away towards one wall of the room. Toph had no idea what was on it. He was leaning ever so slightly into Mai's touch on his shoulder. "But it doesn't. Knowing that anyone could fail doesn't put me one step closer to succeeding. I have to succeed, I'm the Fire Lord and no one else. These are my people."

"Maybe that's what your uncle meant." Toph stopped when everyone turned to her. Their motions were all so sudden it was as if they'd forgotten she was in the room. "I mean, a ruler with less honor wouldn't worry so much. If some people starved or didn't get paid he wouldn't care right? The Fire Nation needs you because you won't give up on it."

"Hmph." Zuko slowly stood up from the table, "That might be." His voice had lost some of the hopelessness, "But it doesn't make failing hurt any less." Zuko shook himself once, "Enough about this." He waved a hand, "Is there anything else you can tell us about the soldiers who abducted you, anything at all?"

"The General who was pursuing them, lost them in the desert. You're the only link we have right now." Mai moved beside her husband as she spoke.

"Not… really. Well, there were a lot more of them by the end than at the beginning. The one solider talked about gathering men."

"Recruitment." Zuko affirmed, "They'll probably be headed to large burnout concentrations to try and gather more. It's a start. We can begin covering known hotspots. But I need someone else to undertake a different mission."

Sokka's chair went back onto all four feet with a Thunk, "What's that?"

"I need someone to go to Ba Sing Se and ask my uncle about this strange power the Captain has. I've never heard of anything like it, and he's the only one short of the Avatar I can think might know something about it. If he doesn't, maybe you can get in touch with another member of the White Lotus society who does."

Sokka's voice held a touch of teasing reproach without resentment, "By you I'm betting you mean me."

"You are the only one here who's been accepted by them."

"Fair enough. Someone should try to hunt up some information about Aang too though."

"I don't want it getting out to the other nations what's happening here. But, we'll try to think of something."

Toph followed the byplay as best she could. She definitely knew there was stuff going on in all this she wasn't understanding. In an effort to bring things back down to her level she piped up, "I'm going with you Sokka!"

There was a pause, and Toph felt a sinking in her stomach.

"No, it'd probably be better if you didn't Toph. I don't need backup in Ba Sing Se, you could do more good here. If these burnouts do attack, you're probably the best bender on the continent right now. Even if they don't, you're the most likely to ID any that might be brought in."

"I." Toph couldn't come up with a good argument to that. "Okay."

"I'm sorry Toph." Zuko's voice was gentle, "Sokka's right though. You and Haru have the only real eyewitness accounts, and you've had a lot longer than him."

"Alright alright I get it." Toph folded her arms and fought a growing pout.

"General Lee's airships are still mobilized, they can provide you the fastest transport to Ba Sing Se." Mai suggested from Zuko's side.

"General Lee?" Zuko echoed with an air of unfamiliarity in his voice.

Mai continued over top of him, "You should pack quickly. Airships aren't something to be kept waiting."

"True enough." Sokka stood, and Zuko hastily extended a hand to him across the table.

"Hurry back."

"I will."

***

Toph caught up with Sokka just as he was as the base of the ramp. Without prelude she shoved something at his face and demanded, "I want it back." when he took it; then dashed off before he had a chance to comment. Sokka held up his parting gift. It was a thin metal plate on a fine chain, star metal both; the kind of thing that would so around someone's neck. The plate had stamped into it, in finely crafted script 'Sokka'.


	8. Precautions, Reactions

Okay, this took forever, but there's reasons.

1)I was on the horns of a dilemma. You see, in order to expand the story, I'll need to veer form viewpoints other than Toph and Sokka. I could keep it to just them, and just ship the hell out of them, but I think it's better when their budding relationship has a more sound backdrop. So, keep an eye out for new PoV coming soon.

2)Someone is shipping me . No lie. I've become ensnared romantically with a wonderful girl. We both agree the only way we could have found or gotten to know each other is if someone was shipping us, and we're a crack pairing, but it works. I'll probably have more time to write during christmas break though ^^

So without further adieu, I'm going to skip talking about your reviews and jump right in.

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Sokka turned the chain over in his hands. It was thin, if not make of star-metal odds are it would break from simple wear. He could only guess that Toph had used Metal Bending to make it, but he had never known her to make anything so detailed. He traced a fingertip over the raised lines that spelled out his name; when had Toph learned to write? Sokka felt a sudden sense of loss. Scurrying here and there for various projects, what had he missed of the lives of his friends, his family?

A klaxon sounded, bringing him up out of his ruminations. Sokka cast a brief glance around the room as the speech-pipes echoed with a clear male voice, "All hand all hands stand by to raise boarding gantries. Line-crew to your stations for cast off. Passenger please report to the bridge for departure."

Sokka raised the chain towards his neck a moment, paused, then instead stuffed it into a pouch as he hurried out the door. The airship was like so many others he'd been on though larger, and additions, improvements, stood out here and there. In the back of his mind Sokka noted these while he ascended the a short stairway that separated the bridge from the working 'guts' of the ship. The bridge was a quiet orderly bustle of activity. Pilot, engineers, a deck officer, and a person Sokka assumed to be the General. The General was facing away from him, and seemed a bit small beside the other soldiers. As Sokka came up the deck officer glanced back then called out, "Civilian on the bridge."

The crew each aused for the slightest moment in their duties, then continued without looking up. The Deck officer faced forward again, but the General turned to face Sokka.

"You?!" Sokka's jaw fell open, he raised an accusing finger, and felt a nerve in his right eye witching as he tried to parse the information.

"Yeah me!" the General put hands on her hips and frowned, "And you, you know you made Suki really sad for a while." The General straightened and folder her arms, putting on a pensive look, "Though, I guess she's happy now, so maybe I shouldn't be mad. Ohhh but I bet you don't want to hear that do you? Oh I'm so BAD at reunions.."

Sokka was still in shock, or that whole monologue might've had more effect on him, instead he was still stuck on,"Ty Lee... you're a-a general?"

"Well, They call me that, so I guess I am!" She beamed at him, then with a quick left-right glance crossed the distance between them in a flash and tugged at his sleeve. "I don't really get it either." she confided in hushed tones. She glanced left-right again and continued on, "Mai asked me to come, but I'm not supposed to talk to Zuko she says. I don't know what's going on, but you gotta stick by your friends right?" Her eyes held a pleading quality.

"I. Yeah, right, you have to stick with your friends Ty Lee." Sokka reached out to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but wasn't sure how you were supposed to be supportive to a General in front of soldiers. He dropped his hand and said, "But, I thought you were on Kiyoshi island?"

"Yeah I was, and it was REALLY cool." Ty Lee spread her arms wide as she talked, then shrank back in again, "But, then Mai's all 'Please come back, we really need you here at the Capitol.' and what am I supposed to say to that? I have to come back, so, here I am. She made me a GENERAL, I don't know anything about generaling! Major Akodo here does like, everything." Ty Lee caught Sokka's arm again, "You're smart right? Do you know why she'd have me here?"

Pieces were slowly starting to pop into place and Sokka nodded slighty, "I think I do Ty. Right now, the best you can do is wait and keep up the good work."

Ty Lee was insistent, "Can't you tell me?"

Sokka shook his had and grinned, hoping to lift her spirits a little, "I could, but I'm not sure you'd understand it, or like it if you did, so, where's the fun in that?"

Sokka saw the play on words wash right over Ty Lee. She blinked confusedly for a moment then just defaulted to her usual smiley self, "Yeah, I guess you're right!"

A distinct clearing of the throat captured both their attentions, "Excuse me Ma'am. All hands in position for lift off."

Ty Lee turned to the deck officer, Major Akodo Sokka guessed, "Okay then, let's get going! We have to get to Ba Sing Se, and don't spare the horses!"

"Yes Ma'am." Sokka wondered if Major Akodo was related to Mai. He didn't seem old, but his voice held less emotion than a dead man's.

The conversation was momentarily forgotten as the bridge became a hotbed of activity. Major Akodo barked orders into the speaking-pipes. Sokka noted his voice seemed much more alive through the metal tubes than in person. The engineers relayed readings to the bridge in general, and the Pilot began to guide the airship aloft as soon as the lines were cast off.

The departure was smooth as silk, leaving Sokka to his thoughts, one of which he could settle right now, "Ty-rr General Lee. How did the burnouts escape from you in the desert?"

Ty Lee turned back to Sokka, she had been looking out the view ports too, "oh, that. Well,We think they had earth benders with them, because they went schoop!" Ty Lee flattend out her hands in a sweeping motion,"And vanished into the sands."

"Earth Benders?" Sokka raced forward to the view port, looking back at the Capitol already retreating into the distance.

"What is it Sokka?"

Sokka frowned and looked back to Ty Lee,"If they've really got earth benders... it changes everything. What they might try, plans they might make, and where we should look for them. I hope that Mai and Zu- Fire Lord Zuko have thought of that."

Ty Lee frowned in concentration, then knocked a hand against her head and smiled, "ha, beat you to a thought! Why not send your hawk back to tell them?"

Sokka brightened and snapped his fingers, "That's a great idea." he flashed Ty Lee a smile and darted for the stairs, forgoing any sort of decorum, though behind him he heard the prosaic call of 'Civilian off the bridge."

***

Toph was bored. Things were happening, that much she knew. Messengers came and went, Zuko and even Mai were busy in meetings from sunup to sundown. It was a sign of just how much important was going on that Toph sat, unchallenged, in the queens throne in an empty throne room. Sat was a generosity. Toph was sprawled, with one short leg hooked over an arm of the throne and the other dangling down. She idly kicked that foot back and forth. Each time it struck the floor a line of writing either engraved itself in the stone dais, or was wiped clean in a regular pendulous rhythm.

'Sokka you're an idiot'

'Sokka I missed you'

'Sokka, I hate you'

'Sokka come back.'

"You know, I think the dais is settling slightly to the right back side. While you're busy novelizing the sacred inner sanctum of my homeland, could you give it a look?"

Toph shot up like a scalded bunnycat. As her foot touched down the last line of writing was flattened back into oblivion once more. She rounded on the voice and with not a shred of respect due shouted, "Zuko! You jerk!"

Toph sat bolt upright, then hopped quickly out of the throne. Zuko was approaching from a side entrance at a leisurely pace. The briskness of his stride of old was gone, and his heart labored far more than it should for simply striding across a room. Toph frowned then blurted out, "So, what's the deal with these burnouts? I figured you would have had these guys mopped up long ago."

Zuko's steps brought him up onto the dais with her. He set a hand on the back of the Fire Lord's throne before speaking, "It's not easy convincing people to give up their beliefs, to accept a new way of life, to give up everything they've been taught to believe in." He turned towards her, "I would think someone from the earth Kingdom would understand."

Toph opened her mouth to reply, then snapped it shut. This new Zuko wasn't much fun, but he was in this case, right. "I guess." She shuffled her feet and idly traced a design in the solid stone with her toe. "So, like, what do they want?"

"That's just it." Zuko descends from the Dais and onto an inlaid map of the Fire nation that had been carved in painstaking detail upon the floor. He stepped neatly over islands to stand before the capitol city, marked out by a stylized flame, "We don't know what they want. I don't think they know what they want. They likely don't even want the same things. They're bound together by need." Zuko waved a hand, passing it back and forth over the capitol slowly. "The Need for something they don't understand but can feel: honor, glory, money, purpose. There is always way to this for them. The problem is, you can't show someone who's lost like this the way. They have to find it for themselves."

Zuko inhaled a deep breath and turned back to Toph, "You said maybe my uncle was right about the Fire Nation needing me to be the Fire Lord. I can tell you one thing. These burnouts, these people, they need me to be. I have been where they are, I have walked this path." He turned away again, back towards the carving, "I just don't know how to bring them to it's start."

"Umm well." Toph rubbed the back of her head, "I'm not exactly the best person to ask about this." She stepped down beside Zuko and crouched down. She traced the lines of the map with a fingertip and asked, "Have you tried talking to them?"

Zuko let out an exasperated sigh. "I've talked until I'm blue in the face: speeches, dedications, pronouncements. I've had as many programs set up as possible with the treasury practically bare. They're not going to be swayed by some figurehead, even if he's the Fire Lord. They're stubborn, bullheaded, afraid, angry." Zuko's voice rose, Toph thought perhaps things were shifting a little too close to home.

Toph spoke up again, "No, like, I mean, just talking to them. Sit down, have a talk, I mean it would take a while sure, but it would probably do a lot more than anything else. You can at least let them know how you relate to them."

Zuko shook his head and turned up towards the thrones, "The Fire Lord can't spend his days telling stories." His voice held that tired note of defeat again.

"Well, maybe these guys don't need the Fire Lord so much as they need Prince Zuko right now?"

Zuko let out a little grunt at that, a note of surprise. Then after a moment longer he shook his head again, "Mai would never go for it."

"Who's the Fire Lord again?"

They shared a laugh at that. It was a nervous thin thing, but it was there. After a time Zuko spoke again, "So." His tone was carefully indifferent, "Sokka sure has changed hasn't he?"

"Maybe if you mean that horrible Goatee."

The laugh was a touch stronger this time, and lead into a torrent of anecdotes, retellings, and memories. Some were new, many were from the days before Sozen's Comet. They jumped from topic to topic, unable to find purchase, or simply afraid of something giving way should they tarry too long.

Toph was poking Zuko in the arm for the fifth time when the doors to the chamber flew open. Three soldiers bowed hastily then rushed forward. The one in the middle was struggling to keep up, supported in his motions by the ones on either side.

"My Lord! Urgent News My Lord!" The three fell into low bows at Zuko's feet as the one in the middle spoke.

"What News?" Zuko's tone was guarded and perfectly formal. Toph could feel herself ceasing to exist as he donned the mantle of ruler of the Fire Nation.

"Boiling Rock my Lord." The middle one continued. Toph could feel thick droplets of blood striking the floor, seeping from bandaged wounds. "Boiling Rock has been assaulted. Prisoners have been freed. It was a large force My Lord, armed men, fire benders, and there was at least one earth bender with them."

"The special prisoners… what about them?" Zuko's voice held a mixture of urgency, and something only a trained ear like Toph's could catch, a trace of panic.

The middle soldier, messenger, seemed to shrink in on himself,"One has been freed My Lord."

Zuko turned to the guard on the left, "Ready an Airship, any airship, I want to be ready to step onto it as soon as I change." Then he looked to the right, "Tell Lady Mai that I will be going away, the excursion should be brief. I've gone to… follow a rumor." Zuko's heart skipped a beat at the white lie. It was beating much harder than Toph would have expected, even from serious news.

Sick of being out of the loop she piped up, "I'm going too! If there was an earth bender there, you'll need a professional to put things back together"

Zuko didn't' even spare time to argue. He was halfway out of the room, shucking his robes and paused only to say back over his shoulder, "Fine."


	9. Pai Sho

The smell of brewing tea was intense, but not overwhelming. Scents intermingled without warring; creating a somewhat heady atmosphere as Sokka stepped into the shop. Tea was not a common drink among the Southern Water Tribe, and even his extensive travels had not enamored Sokka of the foreign past time. As his eyes adjusted to the subdued lighting of the shop Sokka scanned the tables, almost all of them full, for the familiar face of the General. Sokka caught sight of him emerging from the kitchen, and was struck again by just how long it had been since he'd taken time for old friends.

Time had not been cruel to General Iroh, but it had taken it's due. Gone was the solid power of the Dragon of the West. In it's place a diminished, but not unhealthy form, with the mild belly of soft living once again making itself known. Iroh moved with a surety and grace that Sokka doubted would ever leave him, yet ere was that undertone of fragility that embraces all those of advanced age as well. It was the beard Sokka decided. It had made the full transition from gray to white and gone, he suspected, uncut in all the intervening years.

He was carrying a full tea service and sliding his way between the tables with practiced ease when his eyes caught Sokka. There was an instant recognition followed by hastily covered confusion then a blossoming smile. Iroh set the service before his customers and with deft motions set out the cups, utensils, kettle, and accompaniments. With a swift bow and soft words to his guests he turned and hurried to Sokka, arms spread wide.

"Bless my soul. I was expecting company today, but I must admit you were not the one I expected. Sokka my boy, how have you been?"

Sokka bowed respectfully, remembering the hand-over-fist style of the Fire Nation at the last second. "General Iroh, Sir, It is a pleasure. I'm sorry it's been so long."

Iroh embraced him, and Sokka's impression was reinforced. The act was driven by purpose and will, but there was a flagging strength in the limbs. "Come now, no formality between us." Iroh let Sokka go and held him at arm's length, studying him,"You've grown into a fine strong man Sokka. I am sure your father is quite proud."

Sokka fought down a blush and held up his hands in protest,"I'm just lucky to have good metabolism. I've not done anything worth calling hard work in forever. Too much time spent on projects here and there."

Iroh's smile never fled,"I know. I have kept tabs on all you've done across the lands. It's very impressive, and a good use of your talents." Iroh turned and Sokka followed him back further into the shop. "Your sister on the other hand. I worry about what she is doing to herself these days."

"You've heard from Kataara?" Sokka forgot his whole purpose for a moment, hungry for news.

Iroh looked back over his shoulder and sighed softly,"Not from, of." he clarified,"I do not know where to begin. It may be best if you took the time to go and see her yourself. She is island hopping off the West Coast of the Earth Kingdom these days."

Something in Iroh's voice gave the suggestion added weight. Sokka wanted to ask more, found himself tongue tied, his mind a jumble of wants and needs. He spotted something out of the corner of his eye and grasped onto it like a life line for focus,"General." he waited for Iroh to turn,"A game of Pai Sho?" Sokka indicated the empty board beside the kitchen.

Iroh's face brightened immediately,"You have learned to play? There are not many who do in Ba Sing Se. It seems it is out of fashion these days." he hastened over eagerly and pulled out a stool for Sokka before seating himself.

Sokka felt almost guilty as he stepped over. He reached into the soft leather bag and ran his fingers over the playing pieces within before drawing his hand out without taking a single one. Instead his fingers set the piece he'd palmed from the start in the exact center of the board. Iroh gazed down at the White Lotus for several minutes before shaking his head with a slow chuckle,"I must really be getting old to have not seen that move coming." he gestured to the bench,"Sit, please. We can talk as we play." He paused,"Do you know how to play?"

Sokka nodded as he took his seat,"I did learn how, it just seemed like I should, after meeting all of you." Sokka reached out to remove the Lotus piece but Iroh put a hand over it before he could.

"This is your first move." his voice was steady and sure, that of a teacher again,"It is a weak one, but we do not always start out in positions of strength or choice in life. Learn to win from a disadvantage and winning from strength will follow without effort."

Sokka withdrew his hand and nodded. While Iroh plucked at the pieces in his own bag Sokka mulled over how to begin. Iroh placed a piece and Sokka was pulled from his thoughts to consider a reasonable counter. He was no where near as practiced at Pai Sho as Iroh, but he'd won a few games during his travels and didn't want to embarrass himself now. Back and forth the pieces fell. Sokka began to take more time and consider his moves, but it became apparent quickly that he had been worked into a trap many moves back and now he could only concede, or play the game out to the obvious end. Swallowing his pride Sokka conceded.

Iroh smiled gently,"You must visualize your goal from the beginning, if you only guess at the end when already halfway down the path, you may find you have been going in the wrong direction the whole time. You were wise to concede though. Some might stick out a losing gambit to the bitter end, but when you are guaranteed to lose the best course is to try a new game."

They began anew, this time Iroh went first and played the White Lotus to the center. After only a few moves Iroh frowned,"You really are unfocused. What could be so terrible that you cannot speak of it, nor can you put it from your mind?"

Sokka held his next move hovering above he board, then closing his eyes set it down in a random spot, shattering the complex pattern of the game with random chance. "Toph was kidnapped. We rescued her, but the burnouts who took her were lead by a Captain. His name was Anzu. He knew the ways of bending, but didn't bend. He took away bending."

Iroh contemplated the board and answered casually,"There are many who know the ways of pressure points, ways to block chi flow and numb the body." he set down another piece, maneuvering to respond to Sokka's random gambit.

"This is different. He stole Toph's bending without touching her. He canceled out bending at a distance, not with his hands. He wants the Avatar dead." Sokka set down another piece, seemingly at random.

Iroh regarded the board for several silent minutes. He did not look up, did not speak. Finally he reached out and took his white lotus piece form the board, signaling concession. His voice held a bit of begrudging admiration amid worry."There are no random moves. I should have remembered that. It has been too long." He looked up, holding up his white lotus piece and staring levelly at Sokka over it,"Tell me everything you can about this 'not bending.'"

Sokka launched into as detailed an explanation as he could muster. He wished now he'd brought Toph along, a second hand account could only be so good. As he spoke Iroh's face became more and more clouded. When Sokka finally finished his tale a silence grew between them.

Iroh reached out to tug the strings on his Pai Sho bag closed,"I do not know the name of what you are describig, but I do know something about it." he sighed and shifted, looking at the moment a man feeling the weight of his years.

When he did not elaborate Sokka prompted,"Then, please Tell me. Anything you know can only help."

"Only Help?" Iroh's voice put lie to that statement. "Sokka, I will share what I know with you, but only on the condition that you do not share it with others. The fewer people who know and understand what this Captin Anzu does, the better. It is a thing that is at its best, forgotten."

Sokka wasn't sure exactly how to keep that promise, but didn't hesitate,"I will keep what I can."

Iroh seemed satisfied with the oath, conditional as it was. "How much do you know about bending Sokka?" he asked.

"Just what everyone does really. Only certain people can do it, it involves Chi somehow. It's tied to specific elements."

Iroh nodded,"All true, all true, at least now it is." he didn't explain what he meant, simply going on,"What this Captain Anzu does is tied closely with bending, yet is at it's core, the exact opposite of bending." Iroh patted his stomach as he explained,"Bending is a positive interaction. Benders have a specific harmony with the elements inherently in their chi. They manipulate their chi internally, and the elements respond in sympathy to them."

Iroh must've seen Sokka's confusion because he tried again,"Think of a toy boat on the water." That Sokka could follow. "If I put my hand into the water beside it and push the water, the boat moves. I have not touched the boat, yet, it has responded. A Bender manipulates his or her own chi. Elements respond to that manipulation by the laws of natural order."

Sokka stroked his goatee and nodded, his eyes looking unfocused across the Pai Sho board,"I think I understand."

Iroh took a moment to chuckle,"Well, then you are thirty years ahead of where I was at your age." he smiled fondly then continued,"Even those who cannot bend can manipulate their own Chi. They simply lack the natural harmony with the elements to become benders. There are those, like Ty Lee, who learn to put their chi to use through the martial arts. Their chi interacts with that of others when their bodies touch. It is still a sympathetic interaction. She does not take away bending so much as upset the harmony between a bender and his element. In time this balances out, like waves quieting upon still water."

Iroh set both hands upon the board, then turned them palms up and studied them as he explained,"What Captain Anzu does is an act of negation. It is a strange thing, manipulating one's own Chi to the negative rather than the positive. Chi inside us wants to stay a positive balance, for only by maintaining the positive can life be sustained. Captain Anzu, and those like him, force their chi negative, then force it in bits and pieces form their body." At this Iroh closed his hands and a slight shudder ran through him,"It encounters the energy of the natural world and negates it. The energy of a stone in flight, of a fire burning, of a bender." Iroh shook his head,"It is uncertain just what the limits are. Only a handful of people in each generation even begin to comprehend such a thing is possible, and not one in a hundred years is willing to put such a method to the test."

"Why not?" the question came quickly, and without thought.

Iroh looked up, levelly, at Sokka again. His eyes were hard; there was something personal in his answer,"Have you not heard what I have said? This technique is the antithesis of life, of nature. To use it one must enter a state of temporary living death. Even when one is not using it the damage remains. These techniques tear at the chi, the soul of a person. To use them you must spend yourself, one piece at a time, until there is nothing left. What follows is not even death. Death is simply a part of the natural cycle. To use this, you obliterate yourself from that cycle. Those with the insight to discover this technique normally realize the terrible price and the terrible damage that can be done with it. They lock their discovery away, never to be touched. That is how I should be."

Iroh leaned across the table and reached out, grasping one of Sokka's hands in his,"It is imperative that you find this Captain Anzu, you must find him, and kill him."

The hardness in Iroh's voice was a shock, but another more immediate concern rose in Sokka's mind,"How do you fight someone like that?"

The hardness eased, Iroh released Sokka's hand and sat back,"That, I do not know."

"Perhaps I can help."

Sokka jumped, Iroh did too. They had been so wrapped up in their conversation they had both missed the subtle presence of the man standing beside them. The voice snapped them back to the here and now and they both reacted at once. Sokka's was louder,"Aang!"

Beside them, a far cry from the gangly youth of five years ago, stood the Avatar. His air tribe robes hung loosely, but what they revealed was muscle hardened by training and bursting with the energy of a youth in his prime. His eyes were solid, strong, and at peace. He smiled a smile that was an echo of the old Aang, with all the nuances of the new,"Hey guys."


	10. Boiling Rock

The room was small and the steel door, the only way in or out was spreading a chill into the small space. Precautions mean the metal was kept cool to prevent escapes, the room's low temperature was simply a byproduct. Toph could feel the paltry heat shed by the room's only open flame. She could also feel the nerves of the guards outside, the anger in Zuko's heart and the utter calm of the man across from him at the table. For now Toph kept her mouth shut and listened. This really wasn't her fight.

"You saw what happened." Zuko spoke, the words not a quesiton but a statement, his voice was flat with forced neutrality.

"I did." The response from the prisoner was oily and soft, but beneath it thrummed a restrained power.

"You're going to tell me everything."

"I am, though not for the reasons you think." The prisoner sat back and steepled his fingers while Toph and Zuko waited expectantly.

"It was quite magnificent you see. A prison,made to keep prisoners in, not invaders out. Who would have considered a raid on the Boiling Rock? They had an earth bender with them. I'm sure you saw his handiwork on your way in. He blew through the walls like a house of cards. Their leader, Captain Anzu I believe." The prisoner stroked his trim beard a moment,"Yes, I expected great things from him, but nothing like this."

"Focus!" Zuko hissed.

"Of course, Fire Lord." The prisoner drawled sardonically,"My cell was opposite the new Cooler, so I saw the breakout in all it's glory. You know... they had the new cooler made special. A cooler within a cooler. The old ones just weren't up to the challenge." A hint of pride slipped into his voice.

"The guards tell me you were responsible for that." Zuko's voice held a sharp edge of accusation, but if the prisoner noticed his flat response utterly ignored it.

"Oh, I might've slipped in a few words to my neighbor in the long quiet hours after light's out, but that's just polite." Toph could feel the poison in the prisoner's voice settling on her skin like a layer of unclean filth.

Zuko managed to keep his cool, but Toph could feel the boiling within growing,"Just keep going."

"Well, what was there to see? The Captain, the earth bender, and a few soldiers came down. The Captain never even looked my way." There was a hint of admiration in the prisoner's voice,"His minions did though. Of course, that was before he opened the Cooler. I did not take it too personally when their attentions wandered. The threat of immolation is a hard act to compete with." The Prisoner paused, and Toph could hear pride and a touch of awe in his voice when he continued,"It was magnificent. The fires consumed the cooler as soon as the outter door was breached. The stone burned to a powder while the metal ran like water. That is power, THAT is something you could never grasp."

Zuko slammed a fist into the table,"This isn't about me father. This is about the Fire Nation." Zuko swept his hand out to the side in a broad gesture,"These burnouts are after the Avatar. They want to kill him."

Oozai snorted,"Good." and folded his arms in relaxed counterpoint to Zuko's ire.

"This isn't five yars ago. The armies are disbanded, we're off war footing father. How do you think the other nations will respond to an attack on th Avatar by Fire Nation rebels? Do you think they'll care that they're rebels? Do you think for one minute they'll weigh the last five years against the century before? What would YOU do in their shoes; think father!" Zuko seemed to realize he'd risen to his feet. His voice was heavy with emotion, a low boil beneath a yell. He took a cleansing breath while Oozai sat unmoving, but warring within from what Toph could feel.

"Father, you may hate me. You may hate everything I've done to the Fire Nation. You may think I've betrayed our divine right, but it is still the Fire Nation. I'm changing what that means, but it is still our home. I can face my ancestors in the afterlife with what I've done. Will you be able to say the same if you sit smugly by while malcontents offer us up on a platter before our enemies?"

Toph twitched, and was glad Zuko wasn't looking her way. Had he said enemies? She stuck a finger in her ear to clear it out, internally cursing not having bathed since her kidnapping.

The silence grew again. Tohp realized she was holding her breath. Ozai seemed to come to some internal conclusion, his heart rate slowed to a gentle even beat.

"Well played Zuko." He uncrossed his arms and leaned forward, resting his palms on the table,"We may make a Fire Lord out of you yet." Oozai's voice held a chuckle, then sobered as he went on."Your sister has grown stronger Zuko; stronger in a way even I couldn't have imagined. I don't know how Anzu quieted her flames. He spoke to her with cunning words. She still believes herself Fire Lord, and he fed that belief." Oozai paused.

Toph felt a chill run down her spine. She'd heard from Zuko and Kataara long ago how Azula had cracked at the end; power coupled with insanity. Toph felt the image of the double cooler, melted to ruin and the stone shattered to dry dust around it playing through her mind. The cooler was pposed to stop fire benders from bending; so much for that.

"I am not sure what more you want from me. Your sister is gone, I remain here. She went with them willingly, but don't assume any rational goals on her part."

It was Zuko's turn to steeple his fingers,"Talk with me Father. Not as a parent, but one Fire Lord to another. Why her? Why not you? Help me to understand. I don't have time to piece things together, and yu're more than expert at this kind of intrigue."

"A compliment?" Toph could hear the smile in Oozai's voice.

"Recognition of the truth. I need your skills right now. I can settle my moral qualms about using it later."

"Careful, or you really will become my son." Oozai laughed loudly at his own joke, but when he spoke again his voice was deadly serious,"You need to ask yourself Zuko, what does this Captain Anzu want? Tell me."

"He wants to kill the Avatar."

"Correct! Now, if that's his game, what does he need?"

"Need? He can snuff out the Avatar's bending at a stroke, he shouldn't need anything except ot find the Avatar."

"He has the power to take away bending? Like what that little brat did to me? Interesting..." Oozai's voice trailed off, but resumed in strength,"So, he can take the Avatar one on one. Should he assume be will be facing the Avatar alone though?"

Toph pushed off the wall, circling around behind Zuko towards the door. She didn't knwo if she should be happy They were getting information out of Oozai, or worried that he and Zuko were speaking so... well, they weren't shouting at each other and that seemed wrong.

Toph slipped out while they were still talking and wandered her way back outside to the prison's walls. She could feel the damage under her feet. The whole building's structure was compromised. It would take talented earth benders weeks, if not months to repair all the damage. She wasn't sure how Fire benders would manage it, or even if they could. Cracks ran deep within the walls and the stone beneath the prison itself.

Toph stopped at a shorn off point in the wall. Before her there had once been one of the corner bastions. The entirety of it was gone, the adjoining halls and rooms were laid open to the elements now. The bastion itself was nothing more than a pile of rubble sloughed down the side of the cliff onto the brief beach below. Toph kicked idley at a pebble and sent it spiraling down into the abyss. A thought sprang unbidden into her mind.

This was where Sokka had been reunited with Suki.

Toph felt a sudden irrational hatred for this place. It flared and passed in a breath, but left a sour stinging in its wake. She didn't hate Suki. She *liked* Suki. Yet there was this uncomfortable burning stew of emotion that had been pricked by that out of place thought. Toph stood up straight as she could, then sighed. She wished she had grown taller, even a little. It was hard to be taken seriously when you still looked like a kid.

"Impressive isn't it?"

Toph jumped, and very nearly went over the side, only a steadying hand on the shoulder kept her from plunging headlong into the void. She heard the sound of approaching guards while her mind tried to process how she' been snuck up on. She could only sense the man beside her through his contact on her shoulder. When he let go he vanished completely. Toph focused and could just barely make him out. There was almost no presence of him through the earth. In the brief contact though she'd taken in enough. The heavy metal headgear, those unique gloves.

"Dai Li!" Toph hissed, turning to face the vague presence. Shouts sounded from within he compound, but through them Toph heard the whispered response.

"My name is Da Xun. Show me the strength that toppled the Fire Nation."

Toph lashed out with a double-punch that sent spars of earth lancing out toward the vague presence she felt. There was brief contact, but no solid hit. Toph felt the spars splitting in response to the other bender's will. The pieces flew back at her in a storm of rocky shrapnel. Toph backpedaled and dropped over the jagged edge of the walkway. She was expecting it this time though and as she fell her fingers dug into the stone, swinging her around under the walkway into the gaping opening of the hall beneath. Toph landed heavily and froze, sending out her senses along the stone. Her mind worked in overtime trying to put together the Dai Li's curious non-presence. He must have learned to counterbalance his own weight with his bending. A trick that could only be useful for hiding from earth benders; for hiding from her.

The ceiling collapsed on her, Toph's upraised hands caught the slab of falling earth, she felt Da Xun atop it and slammed the stone into the side of the hall. There was no rewarding resistance though. A slight tingle of presence was her only warning of the next assault. No stone but a line of sand and grit slashed up from the floor towards her. Toph sidestepped and advanced with a vicious stomp that slammed slabs of earth up in front of and behind her opponent. Toph charged, but felt Da Xun's ending even through the 'cage' she'd put him in. He was hiding less the more aggressive he got and she could sense the windmilling of his arms, the motion tearing not at her barriers but at the hallway itself. The entire section of the prison wall was torn free from th building itself and began to slide down the cliff.

Toph scrambled up the wall of the hallway, which rapidly became the floor as the whole thing tilted down the cliff side. She barreled her way through the 'ceiling' and leapt free of the sliding debris. Clinging to the cliff side she fought to catch her breath. She hadn't had a battle like this in forever. This Da Xun was quick, much moreso than the Dai Li she'd fought in the past. He didn't rely on those stupid hand-cuffs either. This was earth bending on na entirely different level; Toph felt alive.

"Not bad!" his voice snapped Toph's head around and she sensed him, hanging easily from one hand with his feet braced against the cliff side,"You must do better though, I need you to be better!"

"Oh I'll show you better." Toph pulled her hands free from the cliff and ran along it as if it were flat ground. She felt Da Xun tense at her approach and thrust her hands out in a classic spike attack, but just short of full extension she shot her hands out to the sides and brought them together in a resounding clap. The earth above and below Da Xun snapped shut like an owlbear trap. Once more Toph felt her prey slip free. Thrusting himself form the wall he moved with exquisite timing, his fingertips just catching hold of the edge of her trap and using that purchase to wheel himself above it.

He ran a line above Toph, unable to move as she did he ran on the diagonal with his feet cutting into the stone for purchase. Above her he stomped as he ran, sending an avalanche of earth and rock tumbling down towards her. Toph launched herself upwards, skating towards the avalanche. She leapt, landing on larger rocks as they tumbled down towards her. One, two, three and she was through the rock slide. Toph clung to a spar of earth and fought to catch her breath. Wall-running withing leaving tracks wasn't easy. Toph cursed herself for being goaded into showing off.

Da Xun had vanished again. There were shouts form above. Toph felt a brief surge of bending then there was a series of startled yelps form above as guards were pitched from the walls. Swinging form her grip one-handed Toph kicked and punched the cliff side in half a dozen places. Slabs of stone shot out and caught the plunging guards in a rough, but decidedly less fatal landing than the rocks below would offer.

Toph Pulled herself up onto the ledge she hung form, Then with a series of frog-hops up the wall planted herself on a jutting pinnacle of stone that remained stubbornly upright when the wall on either side of it had been torn away. Toph hunted for any sign of her opponent but could find none... then with a jolt she felt him, right behind her. He stood back to back with her, and at this distance Toph could make out every detail of his garb, his features, the pounding determination in his heart.

"It seems others will not leave us alone to settle this. There will be another time."

Toph felt D Xun leap from the spire and vanish from her sight. a held breath later she felt him again, just for an instant upon the rocks below. The earth opened up to greet him, absorbing his fall and swallowing him up beneath it and past the range of her senses.

"Well." Toph mused to herself,"Guess that explains how they got away."


	11. The Fire Lord

Yes, it's short. I'm struggling wth time and a bit of how to right now. I have had this hanging out for a while now, and was trying to delay it until I got the next bit done. The next bit is the introduction of Kataara, and will be perhaps the most sensitive to most readers. I want to handle it properly and tastefully, while sticking true to the 'update' of her character as I see it. I figured I'd finally just throw this bit out to let people know I'm still alive, while I chew on the next part.

It also includes updates on Aang and where he's been, and I don't want to turn it into a talking heads chapter either. Tough tough!

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The Palace was on fire. The royal chambers burned, servants fled or sought a means to battle the blaze. Guards ran back and forth in confusion or terror. Mai shared one thing in common with them, terror. Heedless of her servants long left in her wake Mai ran without regards to dignity. Her hair had come undone, the ornate headpiece of her station had come free after only a few strides and taken half the pins that held it in place with it. Mai had no thought for the priceless heirloom or her own dishevelment. Zui was in the royal chambers.

Mai's steps slowed only when she cam across the first body. Charred beyond identification, the soldier's armor was a melted silvery drape across his or her blackened corpse. Mai snapped a feather dart out from her sleeve-lining and worked to calm the pounding of her heart She strained her senses against the roar of the blaze, the cacophony of the servants, and her own fears run rampant. She found herself wishing Zuko was here, then in the same thought she cursed herself for a coward. He had enough to worry about. What good was a Fire Lady who could not help her Lord?

Mai turned and vaulted through a window as a renewed thunder swept the compound. Rolling, she came up and scanned, a new gout of flame had blossomed from a building nearby. The cry of alarm was renewed and Mai raced for it. The building was a big one, a guest quarters for dignitaries. Three levels of exquisite artistry, and now a monumental torch as fires consumed the upper level. All around her servants stood in paralysis. Some carrying buckets for other blazes, some looking desperately for direction.

"Get out! Go! Get help and put these fires out!" Mai snapped before vaulting the steps to the quarters and throwing open the doors.

She had imagined this moment in the darker moments of uncertainty. She had awoken from it in nightmares, her body drenched with sweat. In reality, it was far worse than her imagination had been able to convey.

Zui sat, obliviously playing with a carved toy dragon, while draped over a chair beside him was a vision of pure horror.

"Hello Mai."

"Azula."

Mai had heard that Azula had become unhinged in the last days of the war. She had never had the courage to see the results for herself. Mai found a small part of her mind wondering if this was how she had looked when Zuko fought her, she hoped not. No one should have to see a family member reduced to this.

Azula's eyes were focused on something past Mai. Her hair hunt long and loose. Someone had taken sheers, or a blade it haphazardly. Crisp clean cuts made no effort to create a uniform whole in length or pattern. She was smiling, a much more genuine smile than Mai had ever seen Azula give before. Someone had dressed her in Fire Nation armor again. Her collar was upturned, open, and uneven. The sleeve on her right arm hung too long, she had soft soled sandals and tabi on her feet in place of the proper boots. At having her name spoken she whipped around viper-like into a sitting position,"That's Fire Lord Azula you," she snapped petulantly.

Mai slowly slid the doors behind her shut, muffling the noise of the firefighting activities throughout the palace. The crackle and roar of the fire two levels above was a distant reminder of the encroaching doom. Mai noticed that the ends of a few hanks of Azula's hair seemed to be smoldering.

"Zuko is the Fire Lord now." Mai corrected, her voice quiet and measured in counterpoint to her defiant words.

"Zuzu?" The expected outburst didn't come, instead there was a chirruping happiness in Azula's voice,"Is Zuzu here? I'm looking for him. I've something I have to give him." Azula rolled off the chair and onto her feet. She swayed slightly with a giggle that would have meant drunkenness to Mai if it had come from anyone else.

"He's not here Azula." Mai edged in closer, circling slightly away from the doors and towards her son.

"Oh Pooh. I was sent here specifically to give him something." Azula pouted. She traces the tips of her fingers along the arm of the chair she had just risen from and left lines of char against the finish in her wake.

"Sent? By whom?" Mai wthdrew one hand into the sleeve of her robe, plucking the feather dart she had stowed there free again. She stepped again, one step closer to Zui, less than a dozen paces remained. It felt like miles.

Azula didn't seem to be paying attention. She was watching the way flames were beginning to blacken spots on the ceiling, eating their way down the building towards the ground. She did have an answer though,"The Phoenix King of course. Who ELSE would be able to send the Fire Lord on an Errand?" Azula chuffed at Mai's 'ignorance' and lolled her head around to look at Mai again.

Mai froze, praying Azula's unfocused eyes missed the weapon hidden in her hand. Prince Zui took this moment to realize the buildign he was in was on fire. With a disturbed bawl he looked up from his toys, then pushed himself up and cast around. Spotting Mai he began to make for his mother.

Mai broke into a dash, but Azula was faster. Snatchign up the wiggling Zui Azula settled the boy on her hip and squeezed him to her in a too-tight mockery of affection,"Oh, would you look? You made this little one cry. Can you believe I found him all alone? Well.." Azula raised her chin thoughtfully,"All alone except for the burned up corpse beside him." she waved a hand dismissively,"It doesn't matter, isn't he adorable?"

Azula positively beamed towards Mai. Mai felt ill. Her knuckles were aching from their death grip on her hidden dart. Mai saw recognition dawning across Azula's face. The insane Fire Princess darted a look to Zui, to Mai, and back to Zui."He looks like Zuzu!" Azula shifted the boy around, holding him out at Arm's length and studying him. Mai trembled with indecision. There was a chance, a shot, but Azula was holding Zui... could she risk it. She found herself unable, and wilted from the realization.

"This is Zuzu's son! And you're here, so that must mean!" Azula's lips curled into a devilish grin that was reminiscent of her former self for the briefest instant,"Oh Mai Mai Mai." she chided playfully. Te playfulness turned to anger as her eyes were drawn to the smallest tip of metal protruding past the cuff of Mai's sleeve.

"What is this?" she railed,"Regicide! Assassin! How dare you betray the Fire Lord?" Insanity swept back in like a wave,"Guards! Guards!" Azula screamed, then raising a hand she eyed Mai with a crazed look,"You won't get me. You won't get the prince!"

Azula clenched her fist and the top levels of the building exploded in a shower of splinters and flame. Mai fell to the ground,covering her head with her sleeve. The fragments that fell towards Azula and Zui simply burnt up in the air.

"AZULA!" Mai found her voice as Azula transferred the now bawling Zui back to her hip. The toddler reached for his mother ineffectually.

Mai got to her feet, only to be blown back again. The walls of the building were shattered as easily as he upper levels had been. Wings of fire rippled out from Azula's back, knocking the building apart like matchsticks. All aroundthe courtyard servants and guards were bowled over in the downdraft as the flaming pinions swept out and down. Azula launched herself skyward.

When Mai fished herself out of the ruins Azula was little more than a blueorange dot against the night sky. Mai fixed the direction in her mind then struggled free from the ruins. Her robes were holed in a dozen places. Splinters, some more than two inches long dug into her skin all along her arms and legs but Mai ignored them. She shucked her robe, pulling some free in messy fashion, and threw it at the nearest prone servant,"Someone get me a mount. I have a bundle in black silk stowed under the main table in the map room. Fetch me that too." She wasn't speaking to anyone in particlar, but the venom in her voice sent half a dozen stunned bodies fumbling into each other to obey her orders. Mai strode across the courtyard towards the stables.

Halfway there she collapsed, dropping down onto one knee. The culprit was a thick five inches of wood lanced through the top of her right thigh. Her pants stuck wetly aroudn it due to the blood. Mai growled at this inconvenience, anoyed at her body's betrayal while her son was in danger,"Someone Fetch me the Royal Surgeon!" she screamed, then without any means to act further dissolved into frustrated tears.


	12. Where I've been

The collision of the two airships was bone jarring. Sokka leapt with Toph in tow from the disintegrating remains of his ride onto the sloped surface of the new. This Airship, having been spared previous impacts, was barely phased by the blow. The solace of 'solid ground' was little comfort to Sokka as he landed hard, a jolt of pain shooting up through his leg. Toph landed behind him, and the collapsing debris propelled them both forward. A misplaced step sent them down the side of the Airship. The slick metal skin gave no purchase, and the two were launched out into the open air. By Pure fortune Sokka's fingers snagged one of the fire-platforms jutting out beneath the airship. "Gotcha!" he called, his other hand closing around Toph's wrist. For what it was worth.

The two dangled helplessly from Sokka's tenuous hold. Sokka looked for a way up. He could barely hold on with this smallest of grips, the sharp edge of the platform was digging into his skin. Two fire soldiers ran out on flanking platforms. Sokka envied them their tethers, rope lines that would prevent the fall that seemed so very near in Sokka's future.

"Sokka... what's happening?" Toph called from below. In the rush of wind her voice normally so bold sounded like a whisper.

"I think we're done Toph..." Sokka strained out,"I can't pull us up, and these guys don't look like they want to lend a helping hand."

"Sokka... let go. Save yourself!"

"Sokka craned his neck to try and look down at Toph. He smiled hopelessly,"Not a chance. We're in this together right? We had a good run. We just have to hope we did eno-"

Pain lanced through Sokka's wrist. Toph had brought her other hand up and squeezed with that unnatural earth bender strength. Sokka's fingers opened reflexively, no amount of mental effort could force them back in time. Toph released her hold and fell away, eyes on him as she shrank into the distance...

Sokka jerked awake, and was greeted only by the cool twilight air breezing past his cheeks. The smell of leather and fur brought him back to his senses. He was on Appa, not some Fire Nation airship. A sidelong glance caught sight of Aang, flying now without his glider, floating along beside Appa in a meditative lotus posture. At Sokka's motion Aang stirred, and Sokka was once again struck by how much Aang had grown up in the last five years. Sokka mentally shook himself, five years was a long time. Why did he keep trying to trivialize it?

"We're almost there." Aang spoke. His voice had changed more than anything else. Gone was the spunky high pitched lilt of the air bender they knew. In it's place a warm tenor of peaceful contemplation. Even when Sokka had explained recent events Aang had seemed unperturbed. Simply stating 'Let's see how we can set things right.' and agreeing to accompany Sokka on his way back ot the fire nation, with a short side trip to check in on his sister.

Sokka rolled the stiffness out of his shoulders and gazed down at the slowly growing island chain in the distance. "I hope she's okay. I mean, she knows how to handle herself sure. I didn't think too much of it when the letters stopped coming." Sokka frowned at that admission,"I guess I just didn't take time."

Aang looked over at him, and Sokka was again struck by the fact that this wasn't the same Aang he'd seen last. "I'm sure she's fine Sokka. It's Kataara." Aang uncurled himself from his pose and drifted closer, catching hold of Appa's bridle,"Appa, Yip yip!"

Aang guided them down to the largest island in the chain, touching down near some thatched roof huts skirting a beached cove. The island looked to have seen better days. Swaths of trees had been uprooted, and the beach itself cut of abruptly to bare rock just outside the sheltered cove. Sokka found himself tugged from a storm of thoughts all half-formed as Appa's feet settled on the sand. He scrambled out of the saddle and slid down Appa's side. With a pat to the bison's head Sokka felt a genuine smile forming from thoughts of old times,"Thanks buddy, it's been a while I know."

For his part Appa let out a low and turned his head, licking Sokka once with his massive tongue.

"Gah.... I'd forgotten just how wet your tongue was Appa." Sokka shook himself once and caught Aang fighting to stifle a grin out of the corner of his eye. Maybe the old Aang wasn't completely gone after all.

They left Appa where he could pluck Banananuts from one of the palm trees and headed towards the huts. Two men, one the significant elder, were mending a net by the shore and had stopped to watch the unusual strangers approach.

"Hey there." Sokka raised a hand in wave,"We're looking for someone. A water tribe gir- rr woman. She's a bender, her name is Kataara?"

The men divided their attention, though Sokka knew he didn't have the lionbear's share of it. That was a side effect of traveling with the Avatar. By now even those who hadn't seen Aang had heard enough tales to piece together who he was on sight. Even when the elder man spoke, his eyes were still shooting looks towards Aang,"I think I know the girl you're looking for. Though around the islands she's known as the Daylight Saint."

His hands dropped the netting back into his lap as Sokka asked the obvious follow up,"I don't. You can never guess where she will be come nightfall. I expect she will be back on the island coe daybreak but only a select few get told of where she'll spend her kni-"

"The flower hutch. Broken-tooth island." The younger man spoke up, an abashed look on his face. The older man shot the younger, his son Sokka was guessing from the resemblance he was picking up, a look that was a mixture of questioning and disapproving all in one.

"Broken tooth?"Sokka prompted, starting to feel slightly uneasy. What had he been expecting? Not this odd shiftiness that seemed to have gripped both men.

The old man cast another look at Aang, who remained stubbornly silent. Then gathering himself he put on his best 'fatherly' airs and asked directly,"Why are you looking for her young man?" accusation rampant in his tone.

Sokka turned a questioning hand palm up,"She's my Sister?" he replied, the question in his own voice a hint of uncertain disbelief.

"Oh." The older man frowned. The younger man suddenly became very interested in a knot he was working out of the netting. The older man squared his shoulders, then et them droop and spoke in a sympathetic tone,"Why don't you two stay the night? We've finally made a little headway with our stores. I'm sure she'll be on the island tomorrow morning. We can celebrate tonight." The old man's voice became animated with a needful desperation,"We can rejoice at our speedy recovery after the storm, and would be honored if the Avatar would join us?" his eyes went to Aang, a pleading look behind the bravado.

Aang either missed the look, or had an idea what lay behind it. He shook his head, and while he looked the picture of calm, there was a tightness to his voice,"We need to find her as soon as possible."

The old man's features sagged, but he nodded. Raising a hand he gestured southwest,"Broken Tooth island is what way, about an hour by boat along the chain. It is named because the bay is overlooked by a large rock that looks like, well, you know." He pushed a smile ont his lips.

"Thank you." Aang bowed and turned to go, Sokka moved to follow when a grip on his arm stayed him. The old man's eyes bored up at him, insistent,"She is a saint. She has helped us all so much since the storm."

Sokka nodded once, and the man let go. He looked over at his son, then both resumed their work on the netting. Sokka hurried to catch up with Aang, though the two were silent as Sokka remounted Appa. It wasn't until air born that Aang broke the silence, and his words were far flung from the encounter on the beach.

"You haven't asked yet."

"Hmm?" Sokka turned to Aang from trying to pick out the islands below in the fading light.

"You haven't asked where I've been the last five years; what I was doing, all the things I expected people to ask."

"Oh. Sorry." Sokka picked idly at a small crack in the leather of Appa's saddle,"I've been lost in my own thoughts. Lately, I've been wondering where I've been the last five years."

Aang drifted over and caught hold of Appa's saddle, sitting himself up against it. He met Sokka's gaze for a long moment before asking,"You never wondered where I was?"

Sokka sat back, a little taken off guard by his friend's intensity,"Oh, I wondered now and then, but I trust you." He reached out a hand and set it on Aang's shoulder,"You've never let us down. If you needed to go somewhere, do something, then I just trusted it was what you needed. I don't know one hundredth of what it means to be the Avatar I'm sure. No one could possibly know." Sokka gave a reassuring squeeze and a heartfelt smile,"If you want to tell me what you've been up to, I'm all ears. I want to know, there's no doubt, but I respect your privacy Aang. I respect what it is you do for us every day of your life. If you took those five years for a vacation, just hiding out somewhere, I'd never hold it against you."

Aang brought his hand up and put it over Sokka's, giving a squeeze back and smiling,"Thanks Sokka." They both let go as Aang continued,"You're half right."

Aang eyed the moon peeking it's way against the horizon as night fell. "I did need time for myself. I'd been the Avatar, always the Avatar. Most Avatars have a bit more time to be just people before they have to take up the role. I always asked myself 'what should I do? What would the Avatar do?' I had to ask, because I didn't know who I was, as just me, Aang."

Aang held up one hand, the blue arrow tattoo on it's back pointing to the skies,"As much as I wanted it to be otherwise, I was just a kid. I did a lot of stuff no kid should ever have to do, not even the Avatar. I had to be what I wasn't, because of what I am. I spent so much time with what I am, I never learned who I am. I got a hint of the missing piece when we were on the run in the fire nation. Those little stops where I couldn't be 'The Avatar' when I had to remain hidden. They showed me a glimpse of everything I'd missed, those tings that make people who they are when hey grow up. I needed the time to figure that out. If I didn't I'd never be more than a reflection of the Avatars before me. So, yeah. That's a part of what I was doing. I was being entirely selfish, blending in and living like me."

Aang looked over at Sokka, there was a question in his eyes, one Sokka answered by not answering at all,"So, did it work?" he asked instead.

Aang smiled and wavered a hand,"So-So. I think I know who I am, but I'm not sure I like him yet." He winked and they both shared a tension-easing chuckle. Aang sobered up quickly, though excitement shone in his eyes when he spoke again,"The other half is exciting though. I think there will be Air benders again."

That brought Sokka up short. He blinked, then grinned, glossing over his confusion with Bravado. He snagged Aang around the neck and noggied him,"You little Airbending Devil you! Been up to no good?"

"Sokka!" Aang protested, and the ease with which he extracted himself form Sokka's headlock reminded Sokka once again that his friend wasn't some gangly kid. "It's not like that. It's..." Aang struggled with the analogy."It's like when a tree is struck by lightning. Or like when it gets diseased. The mangled stump that's still there has a hard time growing. The little bit that's still alive saps all the strength from the tree without regrowing. What do you do if you want it to grow healthy again?"

Sokka gave Aang a blank look for a moment before pointing to his chest,"Raised in snow remember? Trees; not exactly my thing."

"Oh right." Aang gave an apologetic smile,"Well you have to cut the limb off clean. Then the tree doesn't waste all it's energy on the bad parts, and can regrow."

"Soooo... you had to cut something off?" Sokka gave Aang a sidelong look.

"No no, well, yes. Me." Aang spread his hands as words seemed to fail him again,"I thought of myself as an Air bender, because I was. The Last Air Bender. The balance.. the.. world.. energy I guess you could call it. It's hard to explain. It's what makes bending possible what makes life possible. It's not really separate from all that, it's a part of it, interwoven." Aang sighed. Sokka thought he might be following things, but it was a bit like crawling down a badgermole burrow without a light

"Basicly Sokka, because I was still around, the balance didn't see a need to take any drastic steps to reassert itself. Even one air bender is a 'tribe.' I worked with my past lives, and found a way. I... sort of unhinged myself from my past. I had to think of myself as not an air bender, deep down, I had to lost that part of me. Now if I'm right, the balance will begin to work its way back."

Sokka couldn't quite believe what he was hearing, it seemed impossible on many levels,"How?"

"They'll be born to other tribes. It'll take time, but here and there an air bender will pop up in different families until the balance is restored. It won't be the Air Nomads again, it'll be something new, grown out of our time. They might not even be a tribe again, unless they choose to unite. But they will *be*. That is what matters."

"But... how did you 'unhinge' yourself? How can you not be an air-bender? You're still bending air, you're still Aang."

"It's hard to explain. I can bend air. I'm the Avatar. I'm Aang. I was Aang when I was an Air bender, I was Aang when I was the Avatar. If for some reason I wasn't the Avatar, I'd still be Aang. Before, I thought of myself as an Air bender who could bend other things. My life an lessons as an Air Bender shaped everything I did. It took breaking the bonds of memory, lowering those experiences and raising up my experiences with fire, water, and earth. I'm still not explaining it well. I'm not 'Aang the Avatar of hte Air Tribe' anymore. There is no Air Tribe. I am 'Aang, the Avatar.' I am of no tribe, and a part of all."

Sokka reached out and poked Aang in the side,"well, you certainly SOUND like an Avatar now. That or one of those oracle-cookies they have in the fire nation."

Aang smiled at that and shrugged, a bit of the old Aang there,"It might not even work, but I'm hoping it does. I put a lot of effort into it, and that's the other reason why I was gone so long. There's no way I could have done it with others around. I needed to divest myself form everything, past and present, in order to plan for the future."

"Yep, you're the Avatar alright." Sokka gave Aang another light shove,"Well, I'm glad to have you back. Once we get everyone together again, this Captain Anzu won't stand a chance."

"Yeah, I mean, we've taken down a Fire Lord and a Phoenix King, what's a Captain going to do?"

They shared a laugh, Aang stopping short and pointing,"That looks like the spot."

Down below Sokka could barely make out the rocky rise that Aang was pointing to. He nodded,"Looks like it."

The seriousness returned, and Sokka's stomach tightened. He had an uneasy feeling about what they'd find. He hoped it was just brotherly over protectiveness.


	13. A Firey Demise

The smell. The worst part was the smell. Nerves, anxiety, pain, bleary vision, they were bad, but the smell had to be the worst. Normally the slight tinge of rosewood incense would be soothing, but beetleasp venom did strange things to the senses, small price to pay. It's main purpose was as a pain killer, and it did that job wonderfully. However, it tended to kill a few other things while inside the body as well. Mai's sense of smell seemed to be one of its victims.

She was talking though and that was what mattered. Walking, stalking, creeping down the ill-lit hall. She could hear men breathing behind thin paper doors to either side of her. Men asleep, men talking, any one of them would likely have put a sword in her if given half a chance. Mai made her way as swiftly as her numbed senses would allow through the winding way of the hall. The Villa's layout seemed fairly standard, if Mai was right she should be heading for the master study. If she was wrong, well, she didn't have the clarity of mind to waste on that right now.

Bullying the royal physician, following the trail of reports of the 'firebird' in the sky, finding this secluded retreat high in the mountains had all been easy. Mai could bully with the best of them when she needed to. Azula had never been much for subtlety before, and now the mad princess had thrown it away altogether. This Villa was the only building for miles around after the last report where someone might make themselves reasonably secure against a direct assault; though as Mai was proving, never against infiltration.

What would have been the hardest part was making her own body move. Muscles punctured, blood lost, shock a constant friend. She should have been bedridden. She should have been unable to stand much less track her enemy over miles of rocky countryside. It should have been impossible. Thinking of Zui made it easy.

The venom was a short-term fix. Taken less than a quarter of an hour ago, it would give her hopefully that long again in this devilish half-life, able to ignore the petty concerns of pain and injury. After that, well, Beetleasp venom worked differently on different people. It was never pleasant though. Blinking away a persistent string of orange star shaped flowers from the corners of her vision, Mai slid up to the screen that separated the study from the hall. She hoped she had guessed correctly.

Mai slid the screen open but a hair. She waited, listened, swallowed another abortive attempt by her body to purge the scent of Rosewood from her nose and belly. A little further, a little further. Mai prayed to whatever or whoever might be listening. If someone heard or not she couldn't guess, but no alarm was raised. Mai slunk into the room, and it was a credit to how much the venom had affected her system that it took Mai a moment to realize she'd done it. She'd found him!

Little Zui was asleep. The hour WAS well past his bedtime. He was bundled in a low pen, and seemed none the worse for wear for all his ordeal. The room was otherwise empty, though the shadows danced shades of purple and orange if Mai tried to concentrate on them too hard. Slipping in on silent feet Mai crossed to the crib. Now came something she hated herself for contemplating, but knew no alternative to. She plucked a single thorn from within her sleeve. It was a natural clipping from a fire cactus. Mai held it gingerly between gloved fingers, mindful of it's tip. Steeling herself against doubt she leaned over and gently pricked her son's throat with the barb. It raised only a small red weal, not even a single drop of blood was spilled and yet Mai felt leaden inside. There was no outward change in her son's repose. No trauma of any sort would raise the boy from the plant's poisoned slumber for an hour though. He would be completely silent and utterly compliant for her journey back down from the villa. Casting aside the dread thorn Mai reached down and picked little Zui from the pen.

The cacophony nearly stopped her heart; Zui slept on. Mai had t put it to the venom. How could she have not seen something so simple as a pressure plate? Lifting Zui had set off the alarm raucous alarm. The sound of men scrambling as they were warned as clearly as if she'd sent an invitation filled the villa. Mai tensed for a run, but one wall of the room fell away and fire flared to life, temporarily dazzling her eyes past their ability to refocus.

"Welcome, we were wondering when you would arrive."

The voice was gruff, bold, and definitely male. Mai had been expecting Azula. The guards before were a mystery, and this newcomer even more of one. Mai's eyes cleared enough to focus on him. He was holding the lit torch in one hand and a sword-length rattan stick in the other.

A pair of her blades flashed into Mai's hands from her sleeves. The man's eyes only narrowed, "ah-ah-ah. That would be unwise, we DO have you surrounded you know." He was right in that regard. It took the guards suspiciously little time to pile into the room. Some held swords, others crossbows.

Mai rose up from her fighting stance. She had to move in order to disguise the slight tremors running through her muscles. She kept her blades drawn though and said in an admirably even ice-queen tone, "Good. That means I won't have to move around as much to kill you all."

The leader shook his head and tapped the side of his nose with the tip of his Rattan, "I smell blood on you." He raised his nose slightly and sniffed the air several times. "It's a woman's blood, I'm betting your own."

The man grinned a vicious looking grin, "You'd best stand down your highness, or you may not enjoy your stay."

Mai wavered on her feet. She opened her mouth to say something, but her tongue felt as if it had expanded to three times normal size. She shot a sidelong look at little Zui, sleeping so peacefully; so close, and yet so far.

Resolve hardened in her chest and Mai opened her mouth again. Of all things, a hiccup was the war cry for her fatalistic resistance. A dart thrown at the leader was batted aside by his Rattan. A second took one of the guards in the leg. Mai dove as crossbows fired and men lashed out with bare blades. Their actions were likely hindered by orders to take her alive, though obviously not unharmed. Mai's own were turned to sludge by the very same venom that made them possible at all.

She wove her way through the maze of blades, unwilling to leave the room for fear of losing her boy again. Darts and daggers trailed in her wake, protruding each from a separate body part that had made itself too convenient. The stiff lash of the Rattan caught her in the back, but Mai felt only the dimmest of acknowledgements of the pain. She spun and put out another eye with a well aimed dart.

Now men were shouting, screaming, moaning in pain. Now guards were hauling their fellows back. Mai made to pursue, to press the advantage and make them break, but that Rattan was everywhere. It struck her arms, legs, back, and head. Each blow was deadened by the beetleasp Venom. The pain was shunted into the barrage of color and sound that slowly encroached on Mai's vision. It couldn't stop her though. The leering man's face turned to a mask of growing anger as he realized this. Mai felt giddy with the knowledge, nothing could stop her.

Then, something did.

A fist, a knotty calloused fist, a blow with more mass behind it than any rattan could hope to muster knocked Mai to the ground. It didn't HURT. It was a dull sort of pressure against her face, but it lifted her from her feet nonetheless and dropped her onto her back. Mai blinked up at the leader. Time was running out, the venom was working too quickly though her veins. She made to rise. The Rattan fell again, this time across her head. White hot pain spiked across her scalp.

She FELT that. In a rush she felt every blow before come back fivefold. Mais's body went from numb to aflame like an ice cube melting in boiling rock. She threw back her head and howled, unable to fully comprehend, much less cope with the overload. Mai felt pain from injuries she'd had as a child flare up and explode into nightmarish knots of agony. The venom was claiming it's due, and all Mai could do was feebly protest with a shattered 'no…'

A dart clattered to the floor. Mai hadn't even realized she was still holding it. The man loomed up in her vision again. Mai took some solace in the fact that he was the only one of his men still standing in the room. It was small comfort. He smiled that unpleasant smile as tears blurred over Mai's eyes. The rattan went up again, "I told you, you would not enjoy your stay with us."

The rattan vanished in a gout of flame. The fallen soldier beside the leader took the remained of the blast and never even managed a yell before the fire consumed him. Mai forced her head to move, while the leader spun his whole body to face the source. There in the window, wearing armor and with an intensity of purpose that had long eluded him, crouched her Fire Lord. He spoke with a voice that would have done his sister proud.

"Get away from my Wife."


	14. What you've been up to

Ugh, so it's finally done, finally past it(I was sick again too :( ) hopefully things will move a bit faster again now ^^ I know I haven't addressed many reader comments, I've bene just kinda busy with life :/ I'm finishing this out of duty and to see if I can actually FINISH something finally. It's still got a lot of life left in it, I know where it's going and how it's going to end, the journey will be the question ^^

Gotta say bluetiger is win though for all the detailed reviews :)

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The Flower hutch wasn't hard to find. It was set apart from the cluster of other huts on the small island. It sheltered in its own cove, and seemed to have escaped the widespread destruction that had recently visited these isles. The thatch roof was decorated with potted tropical lotus flowers, likely earning the hutch its name. Appa landed and Sokka slipped off, dodging the third attempted lick-bath Appa had given him since their being reunited. Aang drifted down beside him and the two exchanged brief glances. From within the hutch was the sound of laughter, voices, and some sort of attempt at music that even Sokka could appreciate as enthusiasm lacking skill.

"Maybe I should go first?" Sokka ventured. It seemed stupid as soon as he said it. What was so hard about this? It was the time between, he decided quickly. He had no idea what his sister had been doing since the letters stopped. Now, with the Fisherman's cryptic behavior. Sokka was imagining... well.. he wasn't imagining anything, but he didn't like what he wasn't imagining. Even now though, he felt some sort of need to shield Aang. If something bad WAS afoot, then it wasn't for the Avatar to have to worry about, it was a family thing.

"Well, I guess." Aang sounded unconvinced, but then nodded,"If she's not there, I don't want to cause a stir." he stood back while Sokka ventured upthe short ramp to the hutch's front door. Door was generous, it was a screen of shells strung together. Leaping light and another round of laughter leaked out through it. Sokka found himself squinting to make out details of the shadowed shapes beyond the thin veil. Chiding himself and finding a need for courage that he hadn't been wanting for in the raid on the Fire Lord's palace, Sokka pushed aside the shells and stepped in.

The music stopped. The laughter stopped. Motion stopped.

"Katara?" The word was out of Sokka's mouth before he could stop it.

The hutch held about a dozen people, all in various levels of young adulthood, and various levels of scant dress. Two men and a young women were poised with instruments, the likely source of the vain attempt at music. Four others were engaged in some kind of impromptu dance circle on a table. The smell of fermented fruit wine hung thick in the air. The mugs and jugs clutched in hands and scattered about seemed the likely source. A haze of thin sickly-sweet smoke circled the room as well. Small bowls of burning... something had been set in the four corners.

A face popped up, and Sokka's mind registered that there was another tangle of people behind a low set of shelves off to the side. His main focus however was on a scene much closer to the door. A table with two chairs, both occupied by young men in tropic kilts, and across their laps lay his sister. She was, he supposed he should thank heavens for small miracles, dressed; albeit barely (to his standards) in skimpy native-wear. A heavy jug hung by it's loop-handle from two of her fingers. A laugh had frozen on her face, and now her dilated eyes were fixed keenly on Sokka. He could tell some calculation was taking place behind them, some slow-motion imitation of normal recognition.

She rolled off the men's laps unsteadily to her feet and eyed Sokka, "Hey bro. what's up?" she nonchalantly raised the jug to her lips and downed a gulp.

"Kataara? What're you doing here?" Sokka knew he should be.. well, something.. but his insides were trying to be too many things at once and nothing was coming out just right.

"What?" she looked around and smiled at a few of the guys, most of whom were still sober enough to be caught slightly off by the interruption. "Just havin' some fun." She said, then her face snapped back around to Sokka, the bleary expression focused by sudden anger, "What d'YOU care anyway? What bzzness is it of yours?" she stabbed towards him with the jug she was holding.

Sokka took a step back, his hands held before him, then anger poked up past guilt and he stepped in again. Sokka snatched at the jug while saying, "You're my sister, it's my business, and this is no way for a sister of mine to behave."

"Back off!" Kataara snapped. She swayed back, and with more control than Sokka would have given her credit for her arms moved in a fluid whipping motion. The strong drink in her jug snaked out through the air and lashed Sokka across the chest, knocking him back a step.

Stunned more than injured Sokka raised a hand to the red welt forming on his chest, "What're you-."

"Guys, is everything okay in here? I felt bending. Kataara?" Aang's voice ran over Sokka's. His words laced with concern and rising up into confusion at the last word. A jumble of events followed, all seemingly disjointed and overlapping in Sokka's mind.

Kataara froze.

Sokka reached towards Kataara.

Aang regarded Kataara with a serenely compassionate gaze.

Kataara looked back at Aang. Surprise and Shock tumbled through a series of convolutions, passing a whole host of emotions until the ended up at horror.

Sokka's fingertips touched Kataara's shoulder.

Sokka was knocked off his feet by a second reflexive burst of water bending.

Kataara turned and ran.

"Kataara wait!" Sokka began to lever himself up. Some of the other party goers were beginning to get unruly at this point. The two guys that had been Kataara's furniture began to stand. Sokka shot them a look that put them both back in their seats and began to run after his sister. A touch on his arm stopped him.

"Let me." Aang said quietly.

Sokka stared at Aang a moment without recognition. He knew he was feeling a thousand things himself that he couldn't express, and could only imagine what Aang was going though. So, why did Aang look so calm. There was only that gentle Avatar spirit wanting to help.

Sokka opened his mouth to protest, but it turned into merely a shrug and a nod, "Okay Aang."

Aang stepped through the hutch, skirting the debris, both human and otherwise, and somehow making it all seem that much dirtier in comparison to his own divine presence. Then he was gone, after Kataara out the back, and Sokka was left with the befuddled party-goers.

***

The metal felt smooth, too smooth beneath her feet. Toph tried to curl her toes in it but they found no purchase. Beside her Sokka maintained his balance on the slippery slope only a breath longer than she did, and together they tumbled over the edge of the Fire Nation airship. Toph felt the world go dark as she sailed through the air. The double terror of falling, coupled with not knowing, not being abe to see, only being able to wait for the sudden stop rushed through her. Toph opened her mouth, but the wind whipped away her scream. A hand closed about her wrist. Sokka. A sudden jolt stopped her fall. Toph could see him, feel him above her. He was holding on by one hand to one of the fire-platforms beneath the ship.

"I gotcha Toph, hang on." With a grunt of effort Sokka began slowly pulling Toph upwards towards the platform. She couldn't hold onto his wrist at this angle. She was totally at the mercy of his grip, but she knew he wouldn't let go. She could feel his resolve, the strain of his heart.

"Sokka, you'll never get us both up. Let me go." Toph tried to squirm free, but there was no escaping his grip.

"Stop it. I'll lose my grip and we'll both fall if you squirm." Sokka's voice was filled with the effort and concentration he was exerting. He had her halfway there when Fire nation warriors stormed out onthe adjoining platforms. Tethered back to the main ship they had no need to worry about falling themselves.

"Sokka, let me GO! save yourself!" Toph began to squirm again, but it only drew out a growling groan from Sokka; three quarters of the way up. The soldiers took up stances and turned towards Sokka and Toph as they dangled. Toph willed them gone, willed them dead, but it was futile.

Sokka gave one last roar of effort as the soldiers let loose. Toph's fingers met metal and clung. The platform creaked in protest as her fingers dug into it, pulling herself up was a snap. The smell of fire filled her nose, the heat burned her hair and Lungs. Toph felt the platform at her back. Somewhere Sokka screamed. Toph lashed out first left, then right with sweeping kicks, not even bothering to rise. The platforms to either side bent away, sweeping the soldiers off and dashing them into unconsciousness so they hung limply form their tethers.

At least they had tethers. Sokka's scream hadn't stopped. Toph turned and reached for him, felt him. She felt the blackened skin under her touch. She saw him aflame, skin crisped as the last of his strength fled and his fingers slipped through her own. Toph's own scream was incoherent as she watched him fall away. His eyes never left her, even as his charred body plummeted to the earth below. When he hit the rocks, Toph felt the jolt through every inch of her body.

Another jolt, and another. Toph sat bolt upright amid a pile of rocks. Rocks, ground, no airships anywhere. Her breath came in pants as Toph struggled to regain her composure. The dream sent shivers down her spine. She was glad no one was around to see. Toph was in a deep basement of the Fire Palace. It was a little place set aside for her to train. Train and wait; wait for Sokka to come back, or for Zuko to come back. Toph grumbled and took out her frustration by powdering a rock near her left hand with a quick stomp of the foot as she got up.

She was in a plain gi, though she'd sweat through it in her sleep. As she made her way towards the edge of the room Toph remembered, she'd fallen asleep here, training to exhaustion. It helped pass the time, and made her feel she was doing something, anything other than just sitting here being useless.

Toph felt a tremor and dug her toes into the stone floor. Listening, she felt it more clearly. Toph took off even with the vibrations still tickling along her toes. That had been an explosion above.

Toph emerged into a firestorm. Chaos wasn't the word. There was an order to things, a terrible order. Soldiers stormed past Toph towards the outer gates of the palace. An explosion blossomed over the gates again and Toph took off for them herself. At least staying home wasn't boring this time.


	15. How Human

Okay so I *know* it's been forever, I'm sorry life has been so very hectic and I had massive writer's block, which I solved by leaving the laptop at home and writing on good old pencil and paper again, then transcribing later. Something abut writing by hand really makes a difference.

So, back in action, another chapter, and more to come. I hope all you Kataara fans don't hate me too badly for this . I'm just going with how the story flows, but don't worry, this isn't a hate-a-thon for her. Everyone's gonna get fair and 'real' treatment, if I can manage it.

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The annoying thing about these rebels, Toph decided, was that they wore the same uniforms as the good guys. It was so much easier when everyone in a fire nation uniform was bad, or when she'd had few enough friends around that 'anyone else' was a good target. In the middle of this raid Toph was at a total loss. Sure she could tell that this guy had a limp or that that guy seriously needed to lay off the sweets, but her senses didn't help her pick friend from foe at all.

Racing toward the front gates, where most of the action seemed to be, Toph ran across some firebenders setting a building ablaze. That seemed like a safe bet. Toph fell easily into a stance mid-stride. A double-fist side-strike tore two slabs of stone from the courtyard and smashed the offenders into some level of uselessness (Toph didn't much care about the specifics). A follow up strike to the ground sent a ripple up the stone struts of the building and blew the burning roof into splinters that sprinkled down painfully on Toph and anyone else nearby.

Toph was in stride even as the first embers stung at her cheeks. Her plan was a simple one. Anyone outside trying to get in was probably a bad guy. She could hold the line and let the soldiers deal with the rest. She never made it to the gates.

The ground pitched under her and only years of ingrained combat reflexes threw her to the side before a jagged spire erupted where Toph tumbled, but came up on her feet.

"You." She growled.

"Me." Came the even retort.

Toph could just make him out, a faint hint more than a sure thing. "What are you DOING here? You guys don't stand a chance of taking the capitol."

"Oh we're only here, for you."

Toph laughed and spit, "You'd stand a better chance if you wanted the capitol."

"We shall see." Yhr Dai Li countered, and vanished.

"Yes." Toph grinned, "Or at least _I _will." Toph leapt and came down hard on both feet in a hard horse stance. The ground around her bucked and heaved, the top inch or so exploded, pitching a fine layer of dust into the air. Voices turned to coughs and gags around her, but as the motes tickled her skin Toph found a familiar outline in the cloud, "Got you."

Toph swept her arms in a circle before her, drawing them in at the end. The dust coalesced into a thin spine of rock in the air, and a palm strike sent it flying toward her target.

Dax Xun slid sideways, bending both himself and the stone in a mutual 'giving way' that would have been utterly alien to most earth benders. Toph's attack missed by a hairsbreadth and shattered against a wall behind him.

Toph grunted in frustration, "You're good."

Da Xun came into focus for a moment, allowing Toph to memorize every inch of his features, right up to the intense stare and confident smile, "I am." He purred in excitement, "Let us see who is the best."

With that hr faded anew and the battle began in earnest. Around them the raid was in full swing, but two of the most powerful earth benders in the world warranted a wide berth. Stone cracked and flew, buildings shattered and paving stones heaved like the ocean. All of her new tricks afforded Toph a fighting chance. Clouds of rock dust billowed and coated all like out of season snows. It seemed Da Xun has learned as well. He wasn't nearly as hindered by the dust screen as Toph had hoped. She began to wonder if he could 'feel' just as she did. An unexpected pause followed a shrill whistle.

"Next time." Da Xun's voice came from Toph's right. "Next time I'll beat you." The exhaustion told in his panting breath and at least made Toph feel a little better for her own overwrought muscles, he wasn't some impossible apparition after all. Da Xun struck the ground, rippling the stone to sand in a wide circle that encompassed them both. Toph's senses clouded even further, but bravado sustained her.

"That's the best yo-"

"Stop."

The voice sent a chill through Toph's veins. A vague outline stepped onto the sand to accompany the new voice.

"Anzu." Toph whispered the name, bravado fleeing before sheer terror.

"A good memory. Now come along little bender. Surrender now and I'll pull my men out; don't and well, you know how effective resistance will be. Don't look at it as giving up, look at it as saving lives."

Sounds, smells, everything faded into the background as that voice and the hazy figure before her seemed to swell to fill her mind's eye, towering and terrible.

Retorts were born and died a thousand times over on Toph's tongue in the space of a single breath. In the end her hands went up, and her head fell forward.

"Excellent." Anzu snapped his fingers and two men darted in, catching Toph by the arms and lifting her off the ground. The world went dark, a whistle blared again and her captors set off at a run as the sounds of battle abruptly died off.

***

The hutch has cleared out in short order, the occupants having gathered their belongings and bolted when it became apparent Sokka wasn't leaving. This left him with nothing save a patch of beach sand to vent his anger on. So he'd parked himself on the steps and set to it. Even Appa kept a judicious distance as Sokka despondently jabbed at the ground with his sword for the… he'd lost count somewhere in the three hundreds… time.

Two pairs of feet sounded on the floor of the hutch behind him and Sokka hastily sheathed his sword, but stayed seated. The first set of feet were bare, and weary. Kataara walked past him, pausing for a fleeting moment beside him. Sokka looked up and caught the tail end of pain on her face before she continued up the beach.

The second set were light, almost impossibly so. Aang sat down on the steps beside him, "She's going to get a few things. She's coming back with us."

Sokka nodded, flicking away some sand from the hilt of his blade and maintaining the silence.

Aang wouldn't let it go. He nudged the patch of upturned sand from Sokka's handiwork with the butt of his staff, "Looks like a fierce battle, did you win or lose?"

Sokka winced inwardly, new Aang certainly didn't waste much time. "Battle was called when both sides realized they didn't know why they were fighting." He countered, "What about you? If I handled a skirmish, you were in the thick of it."

"Not exactly. I left remember? We all did. We grew up, we didn't need taking care of anymore. I never realized just how hard that would all hit. Who can say what we'd each do in that position?"

"That answer seems a little too detached, even for you."

Aang was silent a moment, then caught Sokka's gaze and shook his head slowly, "Sokka, I know it sounds like an Ember Island play but, I'm not the Aang I was when I left. I knew coming back that getting to know everyone, and you all getting to know me would be something we'd have to do all over again. It's a clean slate; nothing begged, borrowed, or owed from the past."

It was Sokka's turn to be silent a moment, then, "That's hard to wrap my head around; not treating you like loveable little Aang, the air bender we all knew."

Aang smiled, "I never said it would be easy, it's just how things are."

Sokka chewed on the pragmatism of that for a moment, "Fair enough." He decided in the end.

"Now, what about you?"

"What about me?" Sokka answered a little too quickly.

"You can't hide it from me Sokka. Avatar, remember? Not to mention living with the both of you for over a year."

Sokka remained steadfastly silent. Aang didn't take the hint.

"I know she's as much a big sister to you as you are a big brother to her. You don't hide disappointment well."

"Then I'll have to get better at it." Sokka snapped. That took Aang by surprise, and for some reason that was a small victory for Sokka. Pushing himself to his feet he continued. "You think I'm disappointed? You know I am! She's my *sister* She's better than this!." Sokka slammed a fit against the thatched wall of the hutch. "You know it, I know it, she knows it. She was hurting, I get that. This was an escape, but that doesn't make it right. She owes it to herself to be better than this. She owes it to us too! To me as her brother and you as her friend. She's not dumb enough to think we wouldn't find out, to think we wouldn't care. You always hear people day 'They're only hurting themselves' that's a load of old fish. They're hurting everyone who ever gave a damn."

Sokka didn't realize he was shaking until Aang's and settled on his shoulder and stilled him. "Sokka you have to let it go."

"No, I don't. Not yet."

"It won't do any good."

"It'll do me good. If I let go, if I yell or forgive, it'll be a relief for her. It'll be closure I'm not ready to give yet."

Aang frowned, "Sokka that's not healthy. She's your sister. You need to let this go and move past it. It's not fair to hold this over her."

Sokka turned to look out over the ocean then smiled a helpless smile at Aang. "You're right of course, but I never said it was fair, it's just how things are."

Aand regarded Sokka for a long time with a contemplative gaze. Finally he opened him mouth to speak, but snapped it shut gain at the sound of approaching footsteps.

Kataara had a knapsack over one shoulder and a long wraparound skirt in addition to her previous beachwear. The slight roll of her shoulders was nothing compared to the subdued look in her eyes, "I think I got everything." She said by way of greeting. Sokka could see her bracing inwardly, like a puppy that expects to be kicked.

Sokka plastered a welcoming smile on his face, "Great! You want front seat on Appa? I'm sure the big lug has missed you." Something small and very hurt inside Sokka reveled in the brief look of confusion on his sister's eyes as he swept an arm around her to lead her off.


	16. Plans

I'd wanted to put another section in this chapter too, but at the same time I wanted to update sooner rather than later so you wouldn't think I was bluffing about coming back. I just finished a hell week of 10 days straight so I was kinda X.X for a few days, but I should pick up this next week, fairly light workload.

I'm going to have to go back and fix that twinkle-toes/snoozles thing in chapter 1 I thought I did…

As always reviews are MUCHLY appreciated. Being watched or favorited doesn't tell an author WHY you like their story, even a short review does, and helps them improve!

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The wooden cage was terribly familiar. There was no way it could be the same one as last time, but it sure FELT like it. Toph wondered if she'd been missed yet. It probably hadn't been more than a couple days yet, but memories of her last imprisonment amplified the isolation. Once Zuko got back, or Sokka, she'd be missed. How long would it take to find her this time? Why her? Toph kicked sullenly at the green-wood slats of her cage; too green to break easily.

"Hey, who's out there? Anyone I know?" she yelled, sick of sitting in the dark.

"Nanao, and no," came the abrupt reply. The voice was female one, and not a loud one, but the answer didn't give Toph much else to work with. She reached a hand through the bars, waving it in the general direction of the voice, "Can't you get me a better guard? Someone more interesting at least?"

"No."

Toph sighed and let her hand drop. She shuffled back into the middle of the cage and sat. She wished she could touch the ground, even for a minute. She was sure she could make a break for it. 'Might as well wish for the army of Ba Sing Se.' she sighed to herself. She couldn't touch the ground and so, she couldn't bend.

Wait.

Why not? Earth benders used their connection with the earth to make bending easier. Most probably couldn't bend without touching the earth, but she wasn't most benders. She'd lived her whole life not being able to see and found other ways. This wasn't any different. The only real problem was she couldn't get caught practicing. This was going to be the kind of internal meditative stuff more suited to twinkle-toes. Toph gave herself a mental shake and sat cross-legged, it seemed like the kind of thing Aang would do. Thus prepared she tried to reach out with her senses, to feel something, anything.

***

"Sir, Fire Lord Azula has-"

"Shush you idiot." Anzu heard Azula chide the soldier as approached the camp-table where Captain Anzu stood with Ji and Da Xun. They were pouring over an out-of-date chart, trying to mark a good path through the mountains. As Azula approached Anzu turned, his features hidden behind the full helm of his armor.

"If I couldn't hear the roar of your fiery landing I don't deserve to be the Phoenix King, is that it?" he asked knowingly.

Azula grinned lopsidedly, "Quite." But then quick as a kitten she became absorbed in a bit of her bangs that fell across her face. She slid her fingers through it and had it braided in a breath's time. Without skipping a beat she pushed it out of her face and the map caught her eye. "Oooh, is this where we're going? Oh it looks so familiar, I wish I knew why."

Anzu shot looks to the others. Ji had a somewhat suppressed look of panic on his face, while Da Xun was staring intently at the fire princess. It didn't take long for Azula to notice. Her head snapped up and she shot a glare his way. "What, do you have something to say?"

Da Xun's features relaxed, "No." he studied Azula one more time, "You aren't the person I was thinking of."

Azula leaned forward precariously, "Is that an insult?" her voice dripped violence.

Da Xun smiled in reply, "I don't think I'd call it that."

Azula snarled, "Why you-." She flared to life with a nimbus of flame, but as her right hand came up a pillar of stone shot up under it, striking her wrist and sending the conflagration meant for Da Xun skyward. Azula didn't have time for more than a baffled squawk before a slap of rock exploded from the ground and smashed her through the air. She landed heavily but rebounded and vaulted to her feet in an unsettlingly boneless way. Abruptly her flaming nimbus died off and she giggled, her eyes still on Da Xun, "You're good, I like you."

The earth bender wore a smile himself, through the moment was broken by a sharp clearing of the throat by Anzu, "If you're quite finished?" he drolled.

Da Xun immediately sobered. Azula got distracted by a grayed thread on her cuff.

"Very good." Anzu spread his hands across the map to focus the assembled once more. He traced a path along the map. No line marked the route, it existed only in the minds of those present; nothing for a spy to steal. The journey vaguely followed the great West river up towards the mountains, though the contact was seemingly random and incidental at best. "Here, here, and here." Anzu's fingers stopped at three points along the route. "We need you and your benders to cut a path Da Xun. I don't want to wait when we get there so take what you need and get ahead of us."

Da Xun frowned, opened his mouth to speak, then snapped it shut again and nodded. He glanced toward Azula once more, who had become absorbed in preening to a degree of perfection completely at odds with her haphazard state of dress. "I'll see to it Sir."

"Good." Anzu folded his arms, his head still tilted down towards the map, "Azula," The fire princess jumped as if stung, "Go with him."

All three of the others present exchanged confused looks. Ji seemed on the verge of passing out from the stress of simply being near the others. Da Xun held an air of readiness while Azula shot a hard glare at Anzu who resolutely refused to even look up from the map.

"Fine." She snapped sharply. Tossing the stands of hair she had been smoothing over her shoulder Azula planted herself in front of Da Xun. "Well?" she prodded him, "Don't just stand there like the rocks you play with."

Again it seemed the earth bender considered silence the best reply. With an overly elaborate bow he turned and strode off with Azula in his wake.

Ji let out a held breath noisily, "Sir, I still can't believe you've brought them along. It's such a risk, I don't understand it."

"That Ji, is why I am Captain, and you are a corporal."

Ji seemed stung by the rebuke so Anzu reached out to place a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry. You've trusted me this far; continue to trust me. I know he risks, but we're not playing a company level game anymore. This is bigger than all of us." Ji's head fell, though wether in shame, contemplation, or exhaustion Anzu couldn't tell.

"I'm going to my tent." Anzu announced, breaking his subordinate out of his revere.

"Yes sir." Ji blinked, then added as an afterthought, "Sir? What do we do about them?" Ji jerked a thumb skyward towards a black speck too large to be a bird.

Anzu tilted his helmed head back to examine the sky, "Nothing." He said at last, "Let them be."

"Sir?" the question in Ji's voice was obvious.

"When people find what they are looking for, they seldom keep looking."

With that Anzu turned and left. He crossed to his tent, passed the posted guards, and took the time to fasten each of the straps closing off his tent flaps. Secure in his seclusion Anzu crossed to the armor stand beside his bed. His shoulders slumped farther with each step. Exhaustion laced each motion as he unbuckled his helm and lifted it slowly from his head. The sigh that escaped his lips ad Anzu's helm settled onto the rack was telling.

Raikun fought to square his shoulders, he didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. He shuffled over to the camp table he used as a desk or bed as necessity demanded. At the moment it was spread with maps, atop which sat a newly delivered letter from 'Lieutenant Raikun, third platoon on detachment.'

Drpping into the canvas chair Raikun reflected he was probably the only soldier in history promoted on the basis of build and a gift for mimicry. Despite the still ample evening light Raikun lit a candle on the desk before taking up the letter. The seal was unbroken, not that he expected it to be in a camp of devoted partisans 'And a few loopy catbats' a sarcastic corner of his mind couldn't help but add. Raikun has the odd experience yet again of opening a letter from himself. Inside the thing, precise lettering would never have fooled anyone who had seen his own hand.

I trust this letter finds you well and that you continue upon the path set out for you at the start of our endeavor. I cannot stress enough the importance of what it is you do. The risk grows daily and above all else you must not show weakness. Our erstwhile allies will seize opportunity with a hunger our enemies do not possess. Put the enemy from your mind for he is passive, and will chase your tail as long as you let him. Bait him, lure him, for every day you draw his eye is one we can move freely to build the future.

Enough with the platitudes, I must keep this brief. I trust you have found cause to send earth and fire from your presence, if not you must at all speed find cause to do so. I am sending you water and the three will mix in no combination you can control. Water cannot be ordered as earth, nor fed like fire. Use cunning and capriciousness; be water yourself. Expect cruelty and channel the malice as you would a river. Do not press a confrontation under any circumstances, or you will drown. You cannot bluff one with nothing to lose. Elements bless your path, you may reach us next upon the high road. Your servant-

Lieutenant Raikun

Raikun mused briefly at the thin deception of the signature against the obvious tone of the letter. He let his thoughts wander along those winding courses as he held the letter to the candle's flame. Slowly the evidence curled into blackened ash. Raikun, indulging a superstition of his own, mixed the ash with his ink before taking up a fresh sheet of paper and a brush to begin his reply.

Liutenant, it is food to hear that your endeavors have born fruit. I shall bear in mind your suggestions upon the balance of elements. Feat not for earth and fire will not mix with water. We remain under the watchful eye of the enemy with out bait dragging on the hook. The bait I am told is well and healthy, though understandably I have kept myself distant. With the arrival of water we shall take the low road, sending a few bodies downriver as the time comes. Be in health.

Captain Anzu

Raikun folded the letter crisply and sealed it. Everything on a razor's edge, and that razor dug deeply into his shoulders. As always while applying the seal to his letter he felt inadequate to the task. Still, as always he stood, taking up the letter. He went to the armor rack and once more placed the full helm upon his shoulders. Then Captain Anzu bellowed for a messenger, remembering at the last to undo the straps to his tent flaps.


End file.
